Angel Hearts
by SilvorMoon
Summary: Could Gatomon fight her best friend? And who is the mysterious helper who saves her?
1. Abort, Retry, Ignore

TITLE OF YOUR FIC

Disclaimer and Author's Notes: Most characters, places, and things belong to and/or were inspired by the Digimon TV show, which is, of course, owned by the almighty Saban. This story takes place directly after "Wizardmon's Gift," and is out of continuity beyond that point. Thanks for reading! 

### A

bort, Retry, Ignore  
by: SilvorMoon 

Night. 

Sweet, dark, shielding night, had finally come, and Myotismon couldn't help but give a sigh of relief. Even now, he was in pain from the bolt fired by Angewomon, a ray of pure light ripping through is heart, threatening to tear him to shreds, and it had been all he could do to hold himself together against the power and pain. He had fallen back on his last defense, turning himself to fog and fading away, fleeing back for his hidden lair beneath the earth, out of the reach of the great star's rays. Here, he would be safe. He could recover his powers here, and make plans for how to defeat the Digidestined once and for all. They would think he was dead, of course. It would never enter their minds that he could have survived their attacks, the arrogant brats. Well, let them think he was gone; it could only serve his purposes in the long run. They would go about their day-to-day business, never dreaming that he might still be plotting against them, and then, in the dark of the night, out of the shadows, their doom would come. It was fated. Myotismon could only become master of both this world and the Digiworld, and the human children and their digi-pets would be crushed by him and his legions. As for that traitor Gatomon... he should have known better to trust her. After all those years of seemingly loyal service, it had been _she_ who had put the bolt in him that had nearly brought his downfall! Well, she would be the first to be crushed, starting with that which had caused her change of loyalties in the first place... her heart. 

"I _can_ count on you, I hope," he said to the figure that lurked in the shadows. 

"Of course, Lord Myotismon," answered the creature in a soft, dry, faintly accented voice. It was an unimpressive looking thing, a faintly humanoid being that looked more like a child in a Halloween costume than the monster who would bring about Gatomon's destruction. His skin, what could be seen of it, was greyish, but most of it was covered by a kind of pale cream-colored suit, a red vest, brown gloves and boots. Covering the upper half of his face and sweeping down to his ankles was a long, grey-black cape, embroidered with silver sorcerous markings and held in place by a skull pin. A peaked cap of matching material covered his head, and it, too, was marked with a stylized skull. Wisps of straw-yellow hair peeked out below the brim, short and spiky in front and long in back, held in a loose ponytail. The only other features that could be distinguished were a pair of pointed ears and a pair of eyes. They were cold, calculating, and an eerie shade of magenta-red. 

"Very good," Myotismon replied, smiling faintly. "We will not make our first attack just yet, I think. It would be better if the Digidestined had time to let down their guard. Then, when they least expect it, we will begin to move. Even if they realize what we're doing, it will be too late." 

"I will not fail you, my lord," answered the shadowy monster. "I shall not rest until Gatomon is destroyed." 

Myotismon smiled, letting his fangs glimmer in the dim light. "Thank you, Wizardmon. I'll enjoy watching that." 

~*~

Gatomon sat atop the railing of the balcony outside Kari's room, watching the stars peek out one by one, reflecting in her shining blue eyes. A gentle breeze ruffled her fur, stroking her whiskers and playfully tossing her long tail. Kari lay in bed, watching her companion through the thin curtains. 

"Aren't you going to sleep, Gatomon?" she asked. 

"Hmm? Of, I'm sorry, Kari," said Gatomon. "I was just... thinking." 

"You miss your friend, don't you, Gatomon?" asked Kari sympathetically. 

"Yes," Gatomon replied, letting her ears hang sadly. "He was the first person who ever really cared about me." 

"I care about you, Gatomon," Kari replied. "We all do. We're your friends now." 

"I know," said Gatomon, jumping down from the railing. "I care about you too, Kari. It's just that Wizardmon was special. I'll miss him." 

"I know," said Kari. "Here, Gatomon. You can come sleep in my bed with me, like a regular kitty-cat. When I'm not happy, sometimes Mom and Dad will let me sleep with them. It makes me feel better." 

Gatomon considered a moment. Then, with a pair of graceful leaps, she bounded from the balcony to Kari's room and onto her pillow, curling up into a cozy ball of white fur. Kari giggled and hugged her, and she sighed and decided she did feel a little better. 

"Are you going to be okay, Gatomon?" asked Kari. 

"I think so. Thanks, Kari," Gatomon replied. For a moment, she was quiet, thinking. Then she asked, "Kari, what's an angel?" 

"An angel?" Kari repeated, caught off guard. 

"Mmm-hmm," said Gatomon, nodding. "I think that's the word. When I transformed into Angewomon, you asked if I was an angel. I want to know what an angel is, so I know if I am one or not." 

"Of course you're an angel!" Kari replied. "Angels are special things that look after people and protect them, just like you do for me. Here, let me show you." 

Kari hopped out of bed and ran to her bookshelf. After scanning the titles, she returned carrying a picture book. She flipped open to a certain page and clicked on a bedside lamp so Gatomon could see it. The picture showed a beautiful winged woman with long golden hair and a flowing white gown. Gatomon's eyes widened in wonder. 

"That _is_ me!" she said. "The picture looks like Angewomon!" 

"See? I told you that you were an angel," Kari replied. 

"And Patamon? Is he an angel, too?" Gatomon persisted. 

"Yes, he's one, too," said Kari. "But it isn't what you look like that makes you an angel. It's what you do." 

"Are you sure? I wasn't always a very good Digimon..." said Gatomon sadly. 

"That's okay. It's all over now," Kari replied. "Now you're here with me, and everything's gonna be different. We're going to be best friends forever!" 

"I think _you're_ an angel," said Gatomon. 

"Aw, thanks, Gatomon. That's sweet," said Kari, smiling. 

Gatomon settled down more comfortably on the pillow, closing her eyes with a soft sigh of contentment. Kari set her book aside, turned off the lamp, and settled down next to her friend. She was lulled to sleep by the gentle sound of Gatomon's purring. 

~*~

"Faster, Gabumon! You're going to miss it!" Agumon shouted. 

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Gabumon shouted back. 

"I've got it! I've got it!" cheered Tentomon. 

"Hey, no fair! He's got wings!" Gomamon complained. 

"_I've_ got it," Palmon corrected. "_Poison Ivy!_" 

Palmon lashed out her long, purple-green vines, wrapping them around a frisbee and pulling it back to her. The other Digimon moaned, and Mimi cheered. 

"Yay! You show 'em, Palmon!" she whooped, waving her trademark cowgirl hat in jubilation. 

"Hey, that's not fair!" Matt complained. "There ought to be a rule against using your attacks during the game." 

The eight Digidestined kids were relaxing in the park, the events of the past few days already put out of mind in the excitement of a frisbee game. All of their Digimon were fascinated with the ways of humans, and the idea of competitive sports was one they found entertaining. They were all enjoying a chance to show off their skills without the threat of one of Myotismon's monsters looming over them. 

"Hey, Sora, do you want to play, too?" asked Biyomon. "You never got to teach us to play soccer. You ought to play frisbee with us." 

"Sounds like a great idea to me!" Tai enthused. "Kids against Digimon?" 

"Or guys against girls," suggested Matt. 

"But there are more of you guys than there are of us girls," Kari protested. 

"Hey, Joe can play on your team," laughed Tai. "He almost counts as a girl!" 

"That's not funny, Tai," Matt said. 

"Hey, I was just kidding! Sheesh!" 

"I'll play on your team if you want, Kari," said T.K. "Patomon will help, too, won't you, Patomon?" 

"Sure will!" Patomon agreed. 

"Count me out. I'm not athletic," said Joe. "I'd just trip over my feet or something." 

"I don't really feel like playing sports," Mimi agreed. "It's been so long since we had a chance to relax, and I'm going to enjoy it!" 

"What do you think, Izzy?" asked Tai. "You want to play frisbee with us?" 

"Hmm?" said Izzy distractedly. As usual, he was hunched over his laptop, tapping frantically away at the keys. "Were you guys talking about something? Can it wait?" 

"Izzy, what are you doing?" asked Tentomon, touching down to earth so he could peer at his companion's technical endeavors. "Myotismon and his monsters are gone. What could you possibly be doing now?" 

"Um, well... It's probably nothing," Izzy prevaricated. "Just something I've been working on. I started it yesterday, after the fight." 

"Well, don't keep us in the dark! What are you up to?" asked Tai. 

"Searching," Izzy answered cryptically. "I've been doing some experiments in Digimon- tracking. Because they're digital in nature, theoretically, I ought to be able to track them with my computer by tracking their digital codes - a little like the way we identify people by their DNA. See, here are all our Digimon." 

He clicked away at his keyboard, and the screen suddenly became a pattern of pale blue lines against a black background. A circle of multicolored dots hovered in the center of the grid. 

"Ooh, that's kinda pretty," said Mimi. "If we connect the dots, do we get a picture?" 

"You've got to be kidding me," Joe muttered. 

Izzy gave Mimi a sharp look. "Weren't you paying attention? Each of those points on the grid represent one of our Digimon: green for Palmon, white for Gatomon, yellow for Agumon, orange for Patomon, purple for Gomamon, blue for Gabumon, pink for Biyomon, and red for Tentomon." 

"Why can't I have pink?" Mimi complained. 

"That's pretty cool," said Tai. "Can you track all Digimon like that?" 

"Not yet. Only the ones whose codes I've been able to enter into my computer," Izzy replied. "I've been going through all my files, downloading the information, but it's taking a while. Once I'm done, though, we'll be able to find just about any Digimon that wanders into our world." 

"What good will that do us?" asked Matt. "All the monsters are gone, remember?" 

"Correction," Izzy replied. "_Myotismon_ is gone. We don't know what happened to his henchmen. It's possible that they're still out there, hiding." 

"That's kind of creepy," said Sora with a shiver. Biyomon pressed closer to her protectively. "But you'll be able to find them with that computer of yours, right?" 

"Hopefully," said Izzy. 

"_Hopefully?_" Joe repeated. "You mean there might possibly be monsters lurking around out there, and we won't know about it until they come to eat us?" 

"Well, it is a possibility," said Izzy with a shrug. 

"That's real encouraging," said Tai. "You might as well tell us that maybe we didn't zap Myotismon, after all, and that he'll be after us again." 

"Hold that thought!" said Izzy. "I just got an e-mail!" 

"Is this really the time to be attending to your personal life?" asked Matt. "If there are monsters out there, shouldn't we be concentrating on looking for them?" 

"You guys!" Sora protested. "We don't have anything to worry about yet. Izzy only said there _might_ be monsters. If there are, he'll find them, and if there aren't, we've got nothing to worry about. Besides, the chances are good that we won't have any more monster trouble now that Myotismon is gone." 

"I'm not afraid of monsters!" T.K. said. "If we meet any monsters, Patomon will just turn into Angemon and blast 'em, won't you, Patamon?" 

"Of course! That's what I'm here for," Patomon agreed. 

"_I'm_ scared of monsters," said Gatomon quietly. "I know what they're like." 

"It's okay, Gatomon," said Kari. "I'm here for you. Besides, you can beat anything when you turn into Angewomon." 

"You guys argue if you want to," said Izzy. "I'm going to open my mail." 

He clicked a few keys, and the grid on his screen vanished, only to be replaced by a digitized image of a familiar face. 

"Greetings!" said a voice. 

"It's an e-mail from Gennai!" Izzy exclaimed. 

"You were expecting, maybe, Elvis?" asked Tai. 

"Who's that weird guy?" asked Kari. 

"That's Gennai," Sora explained. "Don't worry, he's a friend." 

The face in the computer ignored all of them. "Congratulations to you all! You've located the eighth Digidestined. Welcome to you both, Kari and Gatomon." 

"Thanks!" they said in unison. 

"Your arrival and joining with the others will be a serious obstacle for Myotismon in times to come," Gennai continued. "Remember, as long as all eight of you are working together, you will be able to stand up against his evil." 

"Hey, wait a minute!" Tai protested. "Myotismon's gone! Angewomon put a hole right through him!" 

"I know you all are thinking that Mytismon is gone," said Gennai. "I'm afraid it won't be so easy to defeat him. Myotismon is a very ancient and powerful type of Digimon, and it will take something special to defeat him. In the event that even your Ultimate Digimon aren't enough to destroy him entirely, I'm arranging to send you some help. He'll be there if you need him. In the meantime, be very careful! There's no telling what Myotismon will do now. Good luck, Digidestined!" The image blinked out. 

Joe turned to Tai. "There! See what you just did!" 

"Me? What did I do?" Tai protested. "I didn't do anything!" 

"Yes you did! You started talking about Myotismon coming back and jinxed us!" said Joe. 

"Hey, that wasn't my fault! How was I supposed to know?" 

"Would you two stop that?" asked Sora. "Its nobody's fault, okay? Why don't we stop arguing and start thinking about what to do now?" 

"Well, for starters," Izzy replied, "I can get to work downloading all the codes for Myotismon's henchmen, so we can keep track of them... not to mention Myotismon himself. Once I have that information, it's possible I can program your Digivices to give us a warning when the monsters get too close." 

"That's a start," said Matt, "but it sure won't be any fun hanging around and waiting to see what Myotismon's going to do next." 

"I know what he's going to do next," said Gatomon. "He's going to come after me. I'm the one who hurt him last time. He always hated me, and now that I've left him, he's going to hate me even more because I've betrayed him. He's going to come after me... and you too, Kari." Her ears drooped in shame. "I'm going to be putting you all in danger. Maybe it would have been better if you hadn't met me." 

"Don't say that, Gatomon," said Kari, hugging her companion. "We were meant to be together. You know that. As long as we stay together, everything will be all right." 

"I hope so," said Gatomon. She sighed. "I wish... I wish we hadn't lost Wizardmon. He was my best friend. He always looked after me when I was in trouble..." 

"We're all your friends now, Gatomon," said Agumon. "We all look after each other. We'll keep you safe." 

Gatomon managed a small smile. "Thanks, Agumon." 

"I guess this means our vacation is over?" asked Mimi wistfully. "I didn't even have time for any shopping!" 

"The fun is definitely over," said Matt. 

Unseen by any of the kids or their Digimon, a small, dark shape peered down on them from his perch in the fork of a tree. His golden eyes glittered maliciously, and he chuckled to himself. 

"You're wrong about that, Digidestined!" he laughed. "The fun is just beginning!" 

~*~

Wizardmon paced the floor of Myotismon's lair impatiently, his long cloak flapping behind him, as if in imitation of the bats that served his master. In the thick shadows that permeated Myotismon's lair, all that could be seen of him were his eyes, shining like two red stars beneath the brim of his hat. In his weakened state, the vampire Digimon found sunlight intolerable, but even when he was at full strength, it was still eternally night in Myotismon's domain. As for Wizardmon, he cared little about the lighting - let it be lit or shadowed, he could find his way easily enough, or conjure a light if he needed it. However, time did matter, and he was getting tired of waiting. He swept across the length of the chamber and back again like a frustrated storm cloud looking for a place to dispense with its rain and lightning. 

Within moments, there was a faint rushing sound, the distinct noise of someone using the elevator to enter from the outside world. It was soon replaced by the fluttering of wings, and Wizardmon turned to see DemiDevimon returning from his reconnaissance mission. Judging by the wicked grin plastered across his face, he had heard something of interest. 

"Well?" blurted Wizardmon impatiently. "What did you hear?" 

"None of your business, scarecrow," answered DemiDevimon impudently. "The only one who needs to hear this is the boss." 

"Listen here, you poor excuse for a feather duster, in case you haven't noticed, Lord Myotismon has entrusted _me_ with the destruction of the Digidestined. All you are is a convenient means of gathering information. _I_ am the master's right-hand Digimon, and don't you ever forget that. Furthermore, I could turn you into a Numemon if I felt like it, so start talking." 

"Sheesh! All right, already! You don't have to get violent," DemiDevimon protested. "For your information, Myotismon told me I was supposed to report directly to him, and he didn't say anything about you. So there!" DemiDevimon stuck his tongue out at Wizardmon. 

In reply, the wizard made a casual gesture with one hand, and DemiDevimon suddenly found himself flying upside-down. The moment he realized he was defying gravity, he fell to the floor with a loud _thump_. 

"Ouch," he said dazedly. 

The room suddenly grew colder, and even what little light there was seemed to diminish, all of it being sucked into a patch of absolute black that was forming in midair. In a swirl of fluttering bats, Myotismon entered the chamber and surveyed the situation with an icy stare. 

"And just what, may I ask, is going on here?" he asked with deadly calmness. 

"DemiDevimon has returned from his scouting expedition, Lord Myotismon," said Wizardmon. "Give your report, DemiDevimon." 

"Huh? Just who do you think you are, bossing me around like that?" DemiDevimon growled, attempting to right himself. His wings were getting in his way, but he persisted. Wizardmon rolled his magenta eyes heavenward in vexation and turned the batlike creature right side up. 

"Quit fooling around!" Myotismon snapped. "You heard Wizardmon! Report!" 

DemiDevimon growled softly and shot a look of death at Wizardmon, but he straightened his feathers and began making his report. 

"Those pesky kids are up there goofing off in the park, and the brainiac is messing with his computer," he said. "He's got it rigged so he can track us wherever we go!" 

"Hmm. That could be problematic," Myotismon mused, "but not fatal. Not yet, anyway. In the future, though, it could become dangerous..." 

"If I may put in a word, Lord Myotismon?" asked Wizardmon. 

"Make it good." 

"A computer is a powerful tool for manipulating digital matter," Wizardmon replied. "Used properly, it could not only track us and our kind, but be used to _alter_ Digimon in certain ways. Make them digivolve, for example, or pull them in and out of existence. I would say this computer could be dangerous right now." 

"Unless they should happen to... mislay it somehow," said Myotismon. His teeth glittered in a slow, deadly smile. "I think it would be in my best interests to send someone to relieve him of it. I'm sure I could put it to better use." 

"I'm sure you could," Wizardmon agreed. "Would you like me to lead the attack? I'm looking forward to seeing Gatomon's reaction when she meets me." 

"No. Not yet," Myotismon replied. "I don't want anyone seeing you yet. Wait until later, after they've lost any chance of early warning. I'm not taking any more chances." 

"As you wish," said Wizardmon reluctantly. 

"It is decided," Myotismon said. "Once these inconveniences are dealt with, the Digidestined will never know what hit them." 

~*~

The atmosphere in the park was generally tense. The Digimon had abandoned their game, and were now hovering silently around their companions, attempting to be supportive. The humans fidgeted, staring off into space or watching Izzy, who was completely absorbed in his computing, keeping up a constant staccato tapping of keys. Gatomon looked particularly nervous, prowling restlessly and frequently scanning the sky. The sun was beginning to sink, and the sky was already beginning to pale with the onset of twilight. 

"We shouldn't be here," she said abruptly. "This place is going to be dangerous soon." 

"What do you mean?" asked Sora. 

"Myotismon's hideout is here in the park," Gatomon explained. "He'll be hiding underground, now, out of the sun, but when it gets dark..." 

"Then I guess we'd better go find somewhere safer, right?" Joe suggested. 

"We should be going home, anyway, or we'll be late for dinner," Tai replied. 

"Same here," said Matt. 

"And I've got all kinds of homework to catch up on," added Joe. 

In ones and twos, the Digidestined began saying their goodbyes and wandering away. However, trailing behind her new friend, Gatomon couldn't help but notice that someone was missing. Casting a look over her shoulder, she saw that Izzy was still rooted in place, his eyes fastened on the screen in front of him, while Tentomon hummed nervously above his head. Brimming with catly curiosity, the feline bounded to his side to take a closer look. 

"Aren't you going to leave, too?" she asked. 

"Not yet. Just give me a few more minutes," Izzy replied, never looking away from the pattern of images and lights. "I've almost got this thing finished. I don't want to shut down when I'm so close to finishing!" 

"But Izzy, it's not safe!" Tentomon protested. "Can't you wait until you get home... say, maybe, after dinner?" 

"Just a nano. We can go as soon as I'm done." 

"_Izzy..._" Tentomon begged. 

"Gatomon! Gatomon, where are you?" called Kari's voice. 

"I've got to go," said Gatomon. "Promise me you'll get out of here as soon as you're done, all right?" 

"Sure, fine," Izzy replied. "Nothing to worry about." 

Gatomon nodded resignedly, knowing that was the best she was going to get from him, and then bounded off to rejoin her companion. 

"There you are!" Kari said. "Where did you go?" 

"Just checking on your friend," Gatomon replied. "I'm worried about him. I think he's more worried about his computer than he is about Myotismon." 

"Hey, don't worry!" said Tai. "Izzy can take care of himself. Besides, he's got Tentomon to protect him, right?" 

"One Digimon isn't much good against Myotismon or one of his monsters, though," Agumon pointed out. "Maybe we should stay here and keep an eye on him." 

"I think that would be a good idea," Kari agreed. "You can't be too careful when there's monsters around." 

Tai looked down at the three pairs of determined eyes staring up at him, and he sighed. "Oh, okay. I guess it won't matter much if we're a little late... but this better not take too long. I'm starved!" 

With that, the two humans and two Digimon settled in to watch and wait. 

~*~

Izzy gave a small sigh as the final set of information loaded itself into place. He closed his eyes and stretched, feeling a bit stiff after sitting still for so long. Clicking a few buttons made the computer shut down, and the sudden lack of light made Izzy realize how late it was - the sun had already set, and the shadows had fallen heavily around him, making it almost too dark to see. Next to him, Tentomon was curled up a ball, dozing. 

"Man, that took longer than I thought," he muttered. "Wake up, Tentomon! It's time to get going." 

"Hmm? What?" said Tentomon, shaking himself awake. "Oh, no, is it nighttime already? We were supposed to be home a long time ago!" 

"Sorry, lost track of time," Izzy muttered. "We'll just have to hurry, that's all. Nobody could have found us yet, could they?" 

Just then, there was a rushing noise. Tentomon dove at Izzy, making them both go tumbling across the grass. In the same instant, a nearby tree dropped to earth with a loud crash and the snap of breaking branches. 

"Come out of hiding, Digidestined! I know you're around here somewhere!" boomed a voice. 

"That answer your question?" asked Tentomon. 

"Um, yeah, I'd say that was a yes," Izzy replied. "What in the Digiworld _is_ that thing?" 

The creature that was lumbering towards them was an enormous musclebound brute, the classic grunt fighter with heavy limbs and sharp claws. It was armored in places, with metal plates covering its tail and spiked armor on one shoulder, but it was otherwise covered mainly just by its wrinkled yellow skin. Its head was covered with a rust-brown helmet with a horn in the center, like a parody of Greymon's mask. From within the mask came a glitter of red and blue, a single wicked eye. 

"That's Cyclomon!" Tentomon replied. "He's bad news!" 

"Well, don't just stand there!" said Izzy. "Digivolve!" 

"Right. Tentomon digivolve to... _Kabuterimon!_" 

Cyclomon's attention was caught by the resulting flash. Turning toward the flash, he was suddenly bowled over as a gigantic winged insect suddenly shot out of the trees. The cyclops monster staggered backwards in surprise but steadied itself with its tail. 

"There you are!" it snarled. "Prepare to be destroyed!" 

"I don't think so!" Kabuterimon replied. "_Electro Shocker!_" 

"_Evil Eye!_" Cyclomon shouted back. Red light shot from the hole in his mask, striking the ball of blue-lilac lightning Kabuterimon had fired and reducing it to a rain of harmless sparks. The evil monster roared with laughter as it leaped into the air, preparing to slash at Kabuterimon with his two oversized talons. 

Meanwhile, Kari was shaking her brother's shoulder vigorously. 

"Tai! Tai, wake up! Izzy's in trouble!" 

"Huh? What?" muttered Tai sleepily. 

"Tai, Izzy's being attacked by a monster! We've gotta help him!" Kari said. 

"Guess you were right after all," Tai admitted. "Good work, little sis. Agumon, get digivolving!" 

"You got it, Tai! Agumon digivolve to... _Greymon!_" 

In the next instant, Cyclomon was distracted from his struggles with Kabuterimon by a scorching fireball smashing into its unprotected back. It screamed in anger and pain, whirling in place to see what was attacking it. Kabuterimon took the opportunity to fire another Super Shocker attack in the beast's direction, but missed as it sprang at Greymon, who beat it off with his tail. 

"Nice to see you, Greymon!" said Kabuterimon. 

"You looked like you could use some help," Greymon replied while dodging swipes from Cyclomon's claws. 

With all eyes fixed on the battle, no one was noticing a small dark shape flitting through the treetops. DemiDevimon looked down on Izzy and his unattended laptop, thinking, *_This is going to be too easy! The boss is gonna be real proud of me. Ha, here I am winning all the glory, and Wizardmon is stuck twiddling his thumbs! I love it!_* 

Cyclomon was too busy with mortal combat to notice or care about the presence of his ally. It turned on Greymon and Kabuterimon with its one eye blazing. 

"The two of you together aren't enough to stop me!" it boasted. "I'll destroy you both, and your Digidestined friends, too!" 

"I don't think so!" said a voice. A white blur launched itself through the air, screaming a battle cry: "_Lightning Claw!_" 

"Way to go, Gatomon!" Kari cheered. 

Gatomon landed on Cyclomon's snout, ramming her small paw through the one hole in the creature's helmet, slashing viciously at its unprotected eye. It roared and clawed at her, but it was too late - she had already leapt to safety, and her work was done. Blinded now, Cyclomon was bereft of both attack and defense, it could only stand petrified as Kabuterimon and Greymon launched their attacks. 

"_Electro Shocker!_" 

"_Nova Blast!_" 

"Aaaarrrgh!" screamed Cyclomon. The scream grew fainter and fainter as the creature was broken down into digital bits, and finally, it vaporized altogether, leaving only the echo of its cry hanging in the air. 

Mission completed, Greymon and Kabuterimon reverted to their more comfortable forms of Agumon and Tentomon, and Tai, Kari, and Gatomon went to congratulate them. 

"You guys were awesome," said Tai. "Way to go, you two!" 

"Thanks, but we couldn't have done it without Gatomon," Agumon replied. 

Gatomon smiled bashfully. "Aw, it was nothing." 

Suddenly, the air was filled once again with the sound of screaming - a human scream, this time. All heads turned toward the sound as they realized whose voice it was. 

"That sounded like Izzy!" said Tai. 

The humans and Digimon hurried toward the source of the cry. They found Izzy on his hands and knees, breathing hard, as if he'd just recently made a lunge for something and missed. His face was white from shock. 

"Izzy, what's wrong?" asked Tentomon anxiously. 

Izzy looked up at his friends with a stricken expression. "DemiDevimon... he stole my laptop!" 

"Is that all?" asked Tai. "I mean, I know that computer's your favorite toy, but was it really worth screaming over? It sounded like someone was trying to kill you!" 

"Don't you get it?" Izzy snapped. "Every bit of information on every Digimon we've ever met is in that computer. That includes all _our_ Digimon - their strengths, their weaknesses, their attacks, everything! It tells where they are at all times. It tells where _we_ are at all times! If Myotismon figures out how to use it, we don't stand a chance!" 

"All right, all right, I see your point!" Tai replied. "What are we going to do about it, though? Just walk up to Myotismon and ask him nicely to give it back?" 

"Of course not; that would be preposterous," said Izzy. He was beginning to recover from his shock and was starting to think logically again. "Our only option is to sneak into Myotismon's hideout and steal it." 

"Are you crazy?" asked Tentomon. "You can't go in there! You'll be eaten alive!" 

"That's not true," Gatomon said. "Wizardmon and I tried it once. We would have made it if Myotismon hadn't seen us." 

"And how are we supposed to make sure he doesn't see us?" asked Agumon. 

"Well, it's nighttime now," said Gatomon thoughtfully. "If I know Myotismon, he'll be going out into the city soon, to feed and start regaining his strength. If we can get in and get out before daybreak, we should be safe." 

"Should be?" repeated Tentomon dubiously. "May I point out that 'should be' doesn't necessarily mean '_will_ be'?" 

"We'll have to chance it," said Izzy. "Otherwise, we might not all make it to morning! Gatomon, can you show me where the entrance to Myotismon's lair is?" 

Gatomon nodded solemnly. "Are you want to go? It might be safer if I went by myself. I know my way around, and I would blend in more easily than you would." 

"Thanks, Gatomon, but this is my computer we're talking about," Izzy answered. "I let DemiDevimon steal it, and I'm going to be the one who gets it back. I'll take Tentomon for protection, though, and I'd appreciate it if you'd come along to guide me." 

"If she goes, I go," Kari said stubbornly. 

"No way!" said Tai. "I'm not letting Myotismon get you again!" 

"But Gatomon can't digivolve to Angewomon without me!" Kari protested. "You might need her if you run into Myotismon." 

"The whole idea is _not_ to run into Myotismon," said Izzy. "You'll be better off staying behind with Tai and Agumon." 

"Huh? Why do we have to stay behind?" Tai complained. 

Izzy gave his friend a hard look. "We want to sneak in, not invade the place. The fewer people the better. Besides, somebody's got to stand guard." 

"Well, okay," said Tai reluctantly. "When do we start?" 

"The sooner, the better," Izzy answered. 

Gatomon nodded. "Follow me, then." 

They moved silently and determinedly through the park, single file. Izzy looked up at the night sky, thinking of what he was about to do and watching a faint mist blow in, and he shivered... 

~*~

DemiDevimon fluttered into the subterranean chamber, struggling with the weight of the laptop - it was almost as large as he was and nearly as heavy, and he was having difficulty staying aloft with the cumbersome box in his claws. Puffing and panting from the unaccustomed labor, he made it halfway across the room before his energy ran out, and the computer slipped from his grasp. 

"Oops," he said. 

"Careful!" Wizardmon gasped. 

A green light flared, and the laptop halted its descent in midair. It drifted weightlessly downwards to land lightly in Wizardmon's hands. He turned his piercing gaze to DemiDevimon. 

"You bungling bat! You could have destroyed this thing," he said, clutching the computer protectively. "It's no good to us in a dozen pieces. I don't know why Myotismon didn't let _me_ do the job." 

"Humph. At least I got it here," DemiDevimon muttered. "You wouldn't be talking like that if you were the one who had to lug the thing all the way down here." 

"Both of you be quiet," said Myotismon, emerging from the shadows. "I see you've got the computer. Excellent work, DeimiDevimon. It appears you're good for something after all." 

DemiDevimon shot a smug look to Wizardmon, who countered with a silent glare. 

"I am going out now," Myotismon continued. "You, Wizardmon, will examine our new tool while I am away. See if you can put it some good use." 

"Me?" Wizardmon repeated, taken off guard. "But I thought-" 

"What you think is of no consequence," said Myotismon. "This computer business was _your_ idea, so _you_ will be the one to figure out how it works, since you claim to know so much. Is that clear?" 

"Yes, Lord Myotismon," answered Wizardmon obediently. 

"Very well. I will return at sunrise to see what progress you have made," said Myotismon. "If there is any trouble while I'm gone, eliminate it, or the penalty will be severe." So saying, he vanished in his customary swirl of bats. 

Wizardmon gave a small sigh and went to find a quiet place to work. His knowledge of computers was little better than anyone else's, but there was no arguing with Myotismon. He would just have to rely on his own intelligence and some trial-and-error. Fortunately for him, he did have a few wits at his disposal... unlike some. 

"Hey, Wizardmon, can I look at the computer?" begged DemiDevimon, fluttering along beside him. 

"Absolutely not," Wizardmon answered curtly. "I wouldn't let you touch this with a ten- foot pole." 

"Why not? I stole it, so I should get to look at it," DemiDevimon persisted. 

"I said _no_. Myotismon was very clear that I should be the only one to use this. I don't want to get in trouble because you pushed the wrong button or something. Now, go make yourself useful somewhere, if you can." 

"Humph. I get no respect around here," DemiDevimon muttered. Grumbling and complaining to himself, he flapped back to the entrance chamber and hung upside-down from the ceiling, standing guard. Within moments, he was sound asleep. 

~*~

"Are we there yet?" Tai complained, stumbling over a tree root. A fog had rolled in, compounding the darkness of an already black night. 

"Almost," Gatomon assured him. "It's just up ahead, so be very quiet! We don't want anyone to hear us." 

Soon, they reached the edge of a clearing, and Gatomon beckoned for them to duck behind a group of bushes. With one claw pressed to her mouth in a gesture for silence, she used the other to point out into the center of the glen. A shadowy shape was drifting back and forth in silent watchfulness. 

"Bakemon," Izzy whispered. "Well, no one said this would be easy." 

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Izzy?" Tentomon asked. "Maybe we could just go home and forget about it, huh?" 

"No. I need that computer back," said Izzy determinedly. 

"Shh!" Gatomon hissed. "Look! Someone's coming!" 

The Digidestined ducked into the shadows, peering anxiously through the foliage and mist at the shifting shapes in front of them. A looming silhouette rose up from the earth, a shape that could be distinguished as an antique carriage with neither horses nor even tracers. The Bakemon snapped to attention before it. There were sounds of muffled conversation before the ghostly chariot creaked off into the night. 

"That's Myotismon going out for the night," Gatomon explained. "Now's our chance." 

"I still think you should let us come with you," said Tai. "What good are we going to be doing hanging around out here?" 

"Somebody's got to watch for Myotismon coming back," Izzy replied. "If he does, stall him." 

*_Boy, do I wish I had my computer back,_* he thought to himself. *_I could use it to open a communications channel using our Digivices, like I did with Mimi in Centarumon's temple. Then I could let him know if I got in trouble... one more reason why I have to get it back!_* 

"You sure are pushy tonight," Tai muttered. "Maybe we should take your computer away more often. You don't get this worked up when one of _us_ is in trouble." 

Izzy ignored the comment. "I'm ready. How about you, Tentomon? Gatomon?" 

"Ready as I'll ever be," said Tentomon. 

Gatomon nodded. "Let's move." 

"Be careful, Gatomon!" Kari cautioned. "_All_ of you be careful!" 

On hands and knees, on all fours, and even on all sixes, Izzy and his digital companions crept along the perimeter of the clearing, partially hidden by the fog and shadows. The Bakemon continued sweeping back and forth in search of intruders. He made no sound as he moved, and the mist-muffled stillness was oppressive. Suddenly, Izzy's knee snapped a twig. The Bakemon looked up in alarm. 

"What was that?" it demanded. "Who goes there?" 

The mist shifted, revealing a pair of glittering blue eyes. Gatomon stepped gradually into view on feet as silent as the fog itself. 

"You again!" said the Bakemon. "You have a lot of nerve coming back here, Gatomon. Myotismon has given orders for you to be destroyed!" 

"I'd worry about saving yourself, if I were you," Gatomon answered calmly. 

"Huh? What do you mean?" 

"Nothing," said Gatomon. "Just that there's another Digimon sneaking up behind you." 

"What? You think I'm going to fall for that old-" 

"_Super Shocker!_" 

The rest of whatever the creature was going to say was cut off by a sudden burst of crackling electricity, and the ghost let out a final yelp before vanishing in a flash of light and digital sparks. Tentomon buzzed out of the fog, looking pleased with himself. 

"Way to go, Tentomon!" said Izzy. 

"Not so loud!" Gatomon hissed. "Someone might have heard that explosion. Do you want the rest of Myotismon's monsters out here next?" 

Izzy blushed. "Oops." 

Gatomon shook her head and stepped into the exact center of the clearing, beckoning for Izzy and Tentomon to come stand next to her. As soon as they were all together, a square patch of earth suddenly began sliding straight down into the ground, smoothly and silently, lowering them into darkness. Without Gatomon's night-vision, Izzy found himself almost totally blinded. All he could see were indefinite shadows, a low grey mist, and the beginnings of a floor stretching off to invisibility. There was a growling, grinding noise coming from somewhere up above. 

"What's that? An evil Digimon guard beast?" asked Tentomon, peering timidly around Izzy's legs. 

"No, it's just DemiDevimon snoring," said Gatomon. "Let's get out of here before he wakes up." 

"Right," Izzy agreed. "You're going to have to lead the way, Gatomon. I admit, I don't even know where to begin looking." 

"You've come to the right cat burglar," Gatomon replied. "Just follow me, and _stay quiet!_ One wrong move and Myotismon's henchmen will be all over us." 

Following Gatomon's lead, they tiptoed across the room and into a hallway beyond. Looking around at the maze of halls and doorways, Izzy was astonished at how much Myotismon had been able to do. He had to be incredibly powerful to construct all this! 

*_I want all this to be over with so I can get out of here,_* he thought. *_I'm just not cut out for this adventuring stuff. I don't know what I can do without my computer..._* 

The hallways went on and on, diving down staircases and winding through shadowed passageways until Izzy felt completely lost, but Gatomon seemed to know where she was going, and she made each change in direction without hesitation. Then, without any warning, she froze, and Izzy nearly tripped over her, regaining his balance at the last instant. 

"What's up?" asked Tentomon. 

"Listen! Something's coming!" she said. 

Izzy listened, hearing a sound of soft thumping coming from somewhere down a side passage. 

"What are we going to do?" asked Izzy. 

"You two keep going," Gatomon replied. "I'll lure the monsters away. Follow this hallway to the end and turn left, and hide in the first room you come to. I'll meet you there!" 

With that, she turned and darted off into the shadows. Izzy and Tentomon watched her until she vanished into the all-pervasive darkness. 

"I don't like this, I don't like this at all," Tentomon complained. "We shouldn't be splitting up!" 

"Just be quiet and keep walking," snapped Izzy. "I don't like this any better than you do, but we don't have any choice." 

Tentomon ignored him. "These hallways are too small! There's no room to Digivolve! Why did we have to come here, anyway? Let Myotismon keep the computer and let's get out of here!" 

"Stop panicking!" Izzy said. "We've come this far, and there's no way we could turn back now, so we've got to keep going. We _are_ getting my computer back, and we are _not_ leaving without it!" 

"Um, Izzy," said Tentomon, "maybe you should yell a little quieter?" 

"_I am not yelling!_" 

"You're yelling," said a raspy voice behind him, "and now we have you, Digdestined!" 

Izzy turned around and found himself faced by a group of yellow and orange, horned, froglike creatures. They stared at him with unblinking, malevolent eyes and shuffled closer to him on their clawed feet. 

"Gizamon," Tentomon muttered. "Just what we didn't need!" 

"Well, don't just stand there, Tentomon! Shock them!" 

"Oh, no you don't!" hissed one of the Gizamon. "_Tongue Lashing!_" 

"Yikes!" cried Tentomon, and he swooped out of the way, just barely avoiding the Gizamon's long tongue. 

"Whoa!" Izzy exclaimed, diving in the other direction. He ran into the wall... and the wall gave way, dumping him down a long chute. He spun head over heels into the pitch blackness before being deposited roughly on a hard stone floor. Stars whirled in front of his eyes for a moment, and then his world was plunged into utter darkness. He didn't even feel it when something came out of that darkness to drag him away. 

~*~

Gatomon had taken to all fours, leaping down Myotismon's hallways with her ears pinned back and her tail streaming out behind her. A crowd of Gizamon followed in hot pursuit, but the toadlike creature's couldn't match her for speed and agility as she sped along, using her claws to gain extra purchase on the rough stone, sometimes even springing onto the walls and ricocheting around corners. All the while, she shouted taunts at them, trying to keep their attention on her so that they wouldn't be tempted to turn back and look for Izzy and Tentomon. She had a sneaking suspicion that a few of them might have, anyway, but there was no real way to go back and check. She could only hope that Tentomon would be able to handle the few that were left. In the meantime, she had her paws full keeping these under control. They might have been ordinary Rookie Digimon, easy enough to beat individually, but a dozen Gizamon was out of the league of even a Champion like Gatomon. Well, she would keep them busy as long as she could and hope that would buy Izzy all the time he needed. There wasn't much more she could do. 

Rounding a corner, she glanced over her shoulder to see what the Gizamon were doing. They were still making steady progress, an undulating wave of orange-furred frog backs. She turned around, preparing to put on an extra burst of speed, hoping to lose them around the next corner - and she ran painfully into a wall. The impact was so great that she actually bounced backwards a few feet before landing in a dazed heap of pale fur, and stars spun before her eyes. She sat up and shook herself, trying to clear her vision. Even the ringing in her ears wasn't enough to drown out the sound of laughter as the Gizamon closed in. Could she fight them? Probably not; there were too many in too small a space. She backed up instinctively, all the while casting desperate looks in search of an escape, and she ran into the wall again. Her paw struck a projection, and she glanced down in surprise. She was holding a doorknob. Where had that come from? She was almost certain that what she had just run into had been solid stone, but now she was touching the handle of a wooden door. Well, this was no time to ponder pointless mysteries! She turned the knob and slipped gratefully through the doorway, not caring where it took her, as long as it was away from the Gizamon. As soon as the tip of her tail had passed through, she slammed the door behind her, and the Gizamon blinked in surprise as it vanished in a swirl of green lights. 

Looking around, Gatomon found herself standing in a short hallway, well lit by torches on the walls. It was about as clean and bright as an underground passage could be, in drastic contrast to the rest of Myotismon's complex, and she stared at it in total confusion. 

"Where am I?" she wondered. "I've never seen this place before..." 

Just then, her sharp eyes picked up a flit of movement as something dark-colored slipped around a corner, gliding around a corner before she had a chance to discern what it was. All she could make out was something flapping - a tail, a cloak, maybe even wings. 

"Hey, you, wait up!" she called, hurrying after the whatever it was. 

There was a sound of footsteps hurrying away, beating off into the distance. By the time Gatomon had rounded the corner, the creature, person, or thing had vanished entirely. Gatomon sighed. It would have been nice, she mused, to have someone who could at least tell her where she was and help her find her way around. She turned, preparing to check and see if the Gizamon were gone yet, and was amazed to find herself staring down a dead-end tunnel. She blinked and looked again, but the door was definitely gone. Like it or not, she was stuck in whatever this place was. No place to go but straight ahead, she told herself... so that's where she went. 

~*~

Wizardmon yawned and stretched, and then paused to peer at his work. This computer business was tedious enough to make him wish he'd kept his mouth shut, but he was making progress. Already, he'd learned a few interesting things concerning the nature of the Digidestined and their companions, and he was just getting started. Myotismon would be pleased with his work. He clicked a button and stared at the image it created, a picture of Gatomon, her gleaming blue eyes peering out at him so brightly that the picture almost looked alive. He shivered a little. It was no wonder Myotismon had never liked looking directly into them... 

His ruminations were shattered by a sudden explosion and a flash of green light. Wizardmon's head snapped around, looking for the cause of the noise. Something was happening out in the hallway. 

"Bother, I don't have time for this," he muttered. Leaving the computer behind, he walked out of the room and hurried off in the direction the noise had come from. 

As soon as he was gone, someone else came in from the other direction, chuckling quietly. There was nothing quite like a well-used red herring. Very calmly, the someone turned off the laptop, and folded it up. With the computer tucked under its arm, the figure strode up to the nearest wall and tapped it lightly with the staff it carried. A door immediately appeared and swung obligingly open. When it closed again, the room was completely empty. 

~*~

It was hard to say who was most surprised when Izzy disappeared. Tentomon nearly fell to the floor in shock, and the Gizamon stared at the place where the boy had been a moment ago in utter bafflement. 

"Where did he go?" asked one. 

"I don't know! He was here a minute ago," a second replied. 

"Who cares where he went?" asked the third. "He's gone, and that's one less intruder we have to deal with! Now all we have to do is-" 

"_Super Shocker!_" interjected Tentomon. 

One of the Gizamon yelped in pain before evaporating. The others stared at the place where it had been, and then looked up at Tentomon. Tentomon stared back at the Gizamon. 

"Um... Boo!" he said. 

The Gizamon turned tail and ran, while the insect Digimon watched them bemusedly. 

"Well, now, that was easier than I thought," he said. "Now to look for Izzy... Where _did_ he go, anyway?" 

Curiously, Tentomon buzzed over to the wall where Izzy had last been seen. It looked solid enough, but that didn't necessarily imply that it was - Tentomon still remembered the episode in Etemon's pyramid when he and his friend had spent quite a bit of time walking through walls that weren't there. He gave the wall an experimental tap with one foreleg, and it passed through the stone as if it wasn't even there. Slowly, he flew all the way through to see what lay beyond the illusion. 

The first thing he did was bump his head. The ceiling, too low for his tastes already, had slanted suddenly downwards, and he had flown right into it. Shaking himself, he continued to look around, noting that the floor was performing a similar feat, plunging into obscurity. Tentomon eyed it with distrust. 

"Izzy? Are you down there?" he called. 

He received no answer, save for echoes. Still, there was really no other way Izzy could have gone, so Tentomon resigned himself to a long flight downwards and began his descent. 

Flying downwards at an angle in total darkness wasn't the easiest thing in the world, but he managed it without doing more than bumping his head a few more times. At last, he was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel - a flickering orange light, like fire, and he hurried gratefully toward it. Soon, he was in a comfortably large and illuminated hallway. He rubbed his eyes against the sudden brightness. 

"This is not my night," he said. "I'm starting to understand why Izzy would rather play with his computer than have adventures. This is _not_ entertaining." 

Glancing around nervously, Tentomon began to hover down the hallway, keeping his faceted eyes peeled for monsters. However, there didn't seem to be any monsters... or anything else, for that matter. The corridor was straight and empty, with no doors or decoration. It was almost boring. Then, just as he was starting to think he was going to be traveling along this straight line forever, he noticed a shape moving along in the distance, a pale figure that traveled rapidly toward him. He picked up his own pace as he recognized who it was. 

"Gatomon, over here!" he called. 

"Tentomon!" she shouted back happily. They hurried toward each other, meeting at a place where the hallway met a second perpendicular hall. "I was worried that the Gizamon got you! Where's Izzy?" 

"I don't know. I thought you might have seen him," Tentomon admitted. 

"Well, if he's not with you, and he's not with me, then where...?" 

"If I didn't see him and you didn't see him, he probably went that way," said Tentomon, pointing down the second hall. 

"This is a strange place," Gatomon said. "Doors appearing in walls, and these strange hallways... I hope we can find Izzy soon so we can get out of here. I don't even know where the way out is anymore." 

"I thought you said you knew your way around Myotismon's place," said Tentomon. 

"I did! This isn't part of it! I don't know _what_ it is." 

"Well, at least we aren't alone anymore," said Tentomon consolingly, "and we're bound to find Izzy sooner or later." 

"You're right. There's nothing worse than being alone," Gatomon agreed. "Come on, then. Let's get going." 

Together, they made their way down the newly-discovered passage. It was darker than the others, but Gatomon's night vision showed them the way. Soon, they came to a flight of stairs. At the top, they could just barely make out cracks of faint light around the edges of a pair of doors. More important, however, was the hunched shape that leaned against a wall next to them. 

"Izzy!" Tentomon cried joyfully. He hadn't realized, until then, how incomplete he felt without his human partner. "Izzy, are you okay?" 

Izzy didn't move. He was slumped against the wall, evidently sound asleep, and his computer rested in its accustomed place on his lap. In other circumstances, one would have guessed that he had dozed off over his homework. When Tentomon shook him, he opened his eyes and blinked dazedly. 

"Oh, my head," he said with a wince. "Tentomon? Gatomon? Is that you?" 

"Izzy! You're okay!" Tentomon cried. 

"I'm fine," Izzy answered. "How did I get up here?" 

"I have no idea," admitted Tentomon. "Didn't you walk, or did you learn to fly like I do?" 

"Never mind that!" said Gatomon. "We can talk later. Right now, I want to get out of this creepy place before anything else happens." 

So saying, she gave the double doors a push, and they swung silently open, revealing the fog-swept nightscape outside. Everyone hurried outside, so grateful to see the real, dependable world again that they didn't notice when the doors vanished silently behind them. 

"Hey, guys!" called Tai, as his friends appeared out of the fog. "You're finally back! We were starting to get worried about you." 

"We had some pretty close escapes," Izzy admitted. "Myotismon's hideout is totally irrational, almost as bad as his castle." 

"Well, at least you found your computer again," said Kari, scooping Gatomon into her arms. 

"I didn't find it," said Izzy. "Someone else did." 

"Well, it wasn't me," Tentomon said. 

"Me either," Gatomon added. "I thought you found it. You had it with you when we found you." 

"But I didn't find it!" Izzy repeated. "And if it wasn't one of you guys, who was it?" 

~*~

Gennai's student stepped through a door and into the old man's parlor, and his teacher came out to meet him. 

"I did as you asked," said the Digimon to Gennai. 

"So I saw. You've mastered your new powers very well indeed," said Gennai approvingly. "Did anyone see you?" 

"No one," the Digimon replied. "I was very careful... but I still don't understand why I have to hide from them." 

"Patience," Gennai replied. "It's not safe yet. If they discover you, Myotismon will learn of you as well. Wait until your powers are fully developed, and then you may reveal yourself." 

"If you say so," answered the Digimon reluctantly, "but it won't be easy." 

He sighed, and a tear slid down his face from one weary green eye.


	2. Cats, Bats, and Wizards' Hats

Cats, Bats, and Wizards' Hats  
By: SilvorMoon  
  
p Mr. Kido was a creature of habit. Perhaps it was his scientific mindset that made him so,  
or perhaps it was a side effect from his hectic job as a doctor. Whatever the reason was, he had  
his morning routine worked out to the last second, and there was very little in the world that  
could have altered it. Unfortunately for him, there were other worlds that needed taking into  
account, and a small part of one of those worlds seemed to have moved in with him.  
P He started his day just like always. His alarm clock went off at seven sharp, and he turned  
it off and bounded out of bed, determined not to waste a single second. He found his robe,  
hanging on the bedpost just like always, and picked up his towel, folded precisely on the towel  
rod inside his closet. He left his bedroom and walked down the hall to the bathroom. At that  
point, his game plan called for him to open the door, step inside, and take his shower. Instead, he  
opened the door, looked inside, stared a moment, and closed the door again. Brimming with  
annoyance, he stomped into the kitchen.  
p Joe was in the kitchen. Living proof of heredity, he had inherited his father's workaholic  
tendencies, and he had been up since six so he could get more study time in. Never mind that this  
was summer; he wanted a head start on next year's schoolwork. Right now, though, he was busy  
slurping down his breakfast.  
P "Joe, could I have a word with you?" asked Mr. Kido.  
P "Sure, Dad," said Joe through a mouthful of corn flakes.  
P "Why is there a purple polkadotted seal and a dozen multicolored fish paddling around in  
my bathtub?"  
P "Gee, I don't know," Joe replied. "I guess because they couldn't find the swimming pool.  
And he isn't a seal, he's a Digimon. His name's Gomamon."  
P "I don't care about his name or what he is," Mr. Kido snapped. "I want him and those fish  
out of my tub!"  
p "How are the fish going to survive out of the water?"  
p "I don't know! Put them in a fishtank or a bucket or something, but get them out!"   
p "All right, all right!" said Joe, cringing. "Just give me a minute, okay?"  
p Mr. Kido did not look at all mollified, and his son slunk out of the room looking hunted.  
Joe tiptoed upstairs, trying not to disturb his brother and mother, but he need not have worried.  
Very little could have been heard over the sounds of rushing water, splashing, and playful  
shouting. He knocked on the door.  
P "Hey, Gomamon, can I come in? Are you decent?"  
p "Sure, Joe! Come on in! The water's fine!"  
P Joe opened the door and was met by a wall of steam, and he was instantly blinded as his  
glassed fogged up. He took them off and blinked myopically, trying to see through the milky wet  
whiteness that filled the air. What he saw was worse than he had expected.  
P His bathroom had been transformed into a water park. Not only was the bathtub filled, but  
both sinks were on duty as well. The shower was putting out a steady stream of hot water, and  
the tub was overflowing with suds, not to mention small moving creatures. The fish leaped from  
the sinks to the tub and back again, dripping and splashing. Everything from the floor to the  
towels was soaking wet. Gomamon was in the middle of it all, blowing bubbles and clearly  
having the time of his life.  
P "What - what - what?" Joe stammered. "Gomamon, what on Earth do you think you're  
doing?"  
P "I think I'm blowing bubbles," said Gomamon, catching one and balancing it on his nose  
like a seal. "What do you think I'm doing?"  
p "I think you destroyed the bathroom!" Joe blurted. "Look at this mess! Everything's  
soaked! What were you thinking?"  
p "I just wanted to invite the fish over to play," said Gomamon.  
p "Well, could you please tell them to go play somewhere else? You guys just about gave  
my dad a heart attack, and I never did get the hang of CPR."  
P "Sure, whatever," Gomamon replied. He turned to a pink fish. "Hey, Schoolmaster, you  
and your pals are going to have to go home now, before Joe has a fit."  
P "All right. Bye, Gomamon!" the fish chirped.  
P In a rainbow wave, the fish turned and swirled down the drain. Joe watched them in faint  
amazement.  
p "How did they do that?" he wondered.  
p Gomamon gave him teasing grin.  
P "Don't say it!" said Joe. "They learned it in school, right?"  
P "You got it!" Gomamon replied.  
P "Figures," Joe sighed. "Did your fish buddies ever teach you anything about cleaning the  
bathroom?"  
P "Nope," said Gomamon. "Is it anything like having to scrub Piximon's floors?"  
p "Kinda, yeah."  
p Gomamon looked doleful. "I wish iI/i could go down the drain right about now."  
P "So do I," Joe replied. "Shut off the water. I'm going to go look for some dry towels."  
p Joe sloshed out of the room, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind him. A few minutes  
later, he returned with an armload of cleaning rags, which he dumped on the floor in front of  
Gomamon.   
P "You start drying things off," he commanded. "I'll get to work wringing out the wash  
cloths."  
p "Yes, sir, general, sir!" said Gomamon with his usual impudence. With surprising deftness,  
he picked up a rag in his flippers and began to scrub. Joe collected the wet towels and got to  
work drying them. For a while, they worked in silence, Joe still silently fuming about having to  
clean up after his Digimon companion, Gomamon looking thoughtful.  
P "You know something, Joe?" he said at last. "I think still having Myotismon around might  
actually be a good thing."  
P "How can you say that?" Joe replied. "Myotismon's an evil monster, remember? He drinks  
human blood, hangs around with bats, and wants to take over the world! How can that possibly  
be a good thing?"  
P "Because it gives us something to do," Gomamon replied. "Us Digimon, I mean. If he  
wasn't gone, we'd just be hanging around for no good reason. We don't really belong here. We  
don't really know how to fit in."  
P "Yeah," said Joe, looking around the sodden room. "I can kind of see that."  
P "You know what I think?" asked Gomamon. "I think that when we ido/i finally beat  
Myotismon, the door back home will open again."  
p "It might already be open," Joe pointed out. "Remember, Gennai sent us that helper to  
watch us. If he can get in, why can't we get out?"  
p "I don't know. No good reason, I guess."  
P "I thought so," Gomamon nodded. "Joe, do you want to go back to Digiworld?"  
P "Should I?" Joe replied. "I'm not much better at living there than you are here."  
P "No way, Joe! You were great back there!" Gomamon replied. "Besides, wouldn't you  
want to be with me?"  
P Joe smiled a little. "Well... maybe with you around, it would be okay."  
P Gomamon grinned. "I thought it would be... Hey!" He yelped as Joe threw a wet towel at  
him, and then sloshed some of the water from the sink back at his human friend. Then the fight  
was on.  
P Out in the hall, Joe's older brother Jim heard the commotion and sighed.  
P "I never will figure out that kid," he said. "At least that Digimon of his is teaching him  
how to play. That's an improvement."  
P Just then, the doorbell rang. Jim glanced at the kitchen, where his father was grumpily  
perusing the paper, and then at the closed door to the bathroom, where it sounded like a small  
naval war was going on.  
P "I'll get it!" Jim shouted, and went to open the front door.   
P He was glad to be met with a smiling face. Standing on the doorstep was a girl with short  
red hair escaping the confines of her blue hat, and she was accompanied by a larger-than-average  
pink bird.  
P "Hi. You must be Sora. Joe told me about you and Biyomon," said Jim. "Hey, you'd  
better not let my dad see her here. He's already kind of mad at Gomamon right now, and I don't  
think he'd be happy to see any more Digimon hanging around."  
P "That's okay," said Sora. "I just came looking for Joe. Is he here?"  
P "Yeah. He's busy cleaning the bathroom."  
p "He is? What for?"  
p "Gomamon."  
p "Ah," said Sora. "That explains it."  
p "Gomamon's in trouble!" Biyomon chirped, giggling.  
p "Well, maybe we'd better help him out," said Sora. "The others are waiting for him,  
remember?"  
p "More trouble?" asked Jim. "I thought Joe told me you guys had finished off that vampire  
thing."  
p "Well, he's back, and as bad as ever," Sora replied. "That's why we're having a meeting.  
Izzy couldn't get through to Joe, so he sent me to look for him."  
P "Well, he's right in there, and he'd probably be glad to be somewhere else," Jim replied.   
P "Thanks. I'll see you around, Jim."  
P "Okay. See you, Sora."  
P Sora opened the bathroom door and looked in on the war zone. Joe looked back at her  
from under a dripping towel.  
P "What happened in here?" asked Sora.  
p "Gomamon and his marching fish threw a water party," Joe replied. "I'm cleaning."  
P "I ... see," said Sora, looking at the cleaning rags and towels, now equally soaked, that  
covered the room. "You have an interesting way of cleaning."  
P "Blame Gomamon. He started it," Joe replied.  
p "If you say so... where iis/i Gomamon, anyway?"  
P "Boo!" yelled one of the cleaning rags, leaping at Sora. She yelped and jumped  
backwards, neatly falling in the tub.  
P "Help! A Bakemon!" she cried.  
p "No it isn't. It's only Gomamon," said Joe, picking up the rag to reveal his Digimon  
beneath.   
P "Well, she asked where I was," Gomamon said.  
P "I guess that's one way of showing yourself," Sora grumbled, trying to pull herself out of  
the slippery tub. "Anyway, Joe, if you've been here the whole time, how come you didn't answer  
Izzy's call?"  
P "Call? What call? I didn't get any call."  
p "That's funny. You should have," Sora replied. "Where's your Digivice? Aren't you  
wearing it?"  
p "Sure, I always wear it. It's right here."   
p Joe reached into his pocket and pulled the gadget out. A few drips of water fell from it  
and splattered onto the floor.  
P "Oops," said Joe. "No wonder it wasn't working. I guess soapsuds aren't very good for  
Digivices. Hope it still works."  
P He shook it a few times and slapped it against his palm, sending more water flying. Sure  
enough, there was a hiss of static, and then Izzy's voice came through.  
P "Hey, Joe are you there? Joe, come in!"  
p "I'm here. What's up?" Joe replied.  
P "There you are! I've been trying to reach you all morning. Where's Sora? Isn't she there  
yet?"  
P "Sure, she's over there in the bathtub," Joe replied.  
P "She's iwhat?/i"  
P "Oh, never mind."  
P "Where have you been, Joe? Your Digivice blinked out, and I haven't been able to find  
you at all."  
p "Well, I've been right here in the bathroom all morning."  
p "You have? What have you been doing in there?" Izzy replied. "Wait a minute, maybe I  
shouldn't ask."  
P "I've been cleaning, okay?" Joe snapped. "Anyway, what's up?"  
p "A meeting," Izzy replied. "We're all getting together at Matt's place. Something's come  
up."  
P "Oh, great. Just what we didn't need," Joe replied. "Why are we meeting at Matt's? I  
thought we went to the park when we wanted to meet."  
P "I know. That's why we have to meet somewhere different this time. We're too easy to  
find in the park," Izzy replied. "Besides, Matt's dad understands Digimon a lot better than most  
people."  
P "I wish my dad did that," Joe replied.  
p "We don't have time to worry about your domestic problems right now," said Izzy.  
"Hurry up! We don't have any time to waste!"  
P There was a click as communications were cut off. Joe sighed.  
p "My dad isn't going to like this much," he said.  
P "Tell him the fate of the world is more important than a clean bathroom," said Sora.   
p "I guess you're right. Oh, well, let's get going."  
p "Not yet," said Sora. "There's something we've got to do first."  
P "Huh? What's that?"  
P "Could you help me get out of this bathtub?"  
Pcenter~*~/center  
P It was DemiDevimon's opinion that Wizardmon's eyes looked a bit redder even than was  
usual. Unusual a situation as it was, he was actually correct. While the bat Digimon had snored  
peacefully at the front entrance, oblivious to the chaos that was going on around him, Wizardmon  
had stayed awake the entire night, working desperately to come up with something,  
ianything/i, that he could show his master when he returned. It was understandable that he  
should be tense and exhausted while is partner was bright-eyed and ready to go. Wizardmon  
toyed nervously with his staff with one hand, trying to stifle his yawns.   
P "You're gonna get it when the boss gets home," DemiDevimon taunted. "Do you know  
what Myotismon does to people he doesn't like? He'll hang you upside down over a roasting pit!  
He'll lock you in a dungeon without food or water! He'll feed you to a Tyranomon! And that's  
just when he's in a igood/i mood!"  
P "Oh, shut up, you mindless molting mess," Wizardmon snapped.  
p "Touchy, aren't you? You know I'm right - you just don't want to admit it," said  
DemiDevimon. "If I were you, I'd make some tracks. You might just get away from him if you  
leave now."  
P "If you were me, you'd have a brain," said Wizardmon. "However, since that isn't the  
case, I advise you to sit back, watch, and learn."  
P "Learn what?" asked DemiDevimon, suddenly interested. "What do you know that I  
don't?"  
p "It would take all day to list," Wizardmon retorted. "Quit flapping your fangs and wait for  
the master to get home."  
P "Humph," DemiDevimon muttered, ruffling his feathers. "I think you're just bluffing."  
P "Shows what you know."  
P At that moment, there was a whirring of machinery, and the hatch to the outside world  
opened, allowing Myotismon's carriage to sink down into the earth, accompanied by two  
Bakemon guards. The ghost carriage rolled forward, bringing with it a chill mist that shrouded  
the room. Then it paused, and Myotismon stepped regally out. His two servants stood at  
attention.  
P It was lucky for Wizardmon that his master was in a good mood. His hunting had gone  
well, and he was visibly revitalized. Even his bats had a fresher look about them, fluttering and  
chattering with what seemed to be boundless energy.  
P "Well," he said, "what have you two been doing while I was gone?"  
P "Warding off an attack," Wizardmon replied. "At least, I was. Your animate featherduster  
slept through the whole thing."  
P "I did not!" DemiDevimon protested.  
P "If you didn't, how do you explain the fact that one of the Digidestined humans managed  
to get in here?" asked Wizardmon. "Not to mention his companion and that traitor Gatomon. The  
three of them destroyed one of the Bakemon, infiltrated the complex, thwarted the Gizamon  
guards, and stole back the computer, and you never once intervened."  
P "Is this true, DemiDevimon?" Myotismon demanded.  
P "I - I - I..."  
P "I thought so," said Myotismon. "Those brats are more daring than I thought. Where is  
the Gizamon leader? Have him report."  
P "I am here, my lord," hissed one of the Gizamon, slipping out of the shadows. "It is as  
your servant said - the Digidestined human and two Digimon were here tonight. We pursued  
them, but they destroyed two of our number and then escaped - how, I don't know. If I didn't  
know better, I'd say they walked right through the walls!"  
P "A likely story," Myotismon muttered. "Enough! You are dismissed. Don't any of you  
expect any rations this morning."  
P "Yes, my lord," said the Gizamon leader. It turned and hopped off into the darkness.  
P "Well, Wizardmon," Myotismon continued, "I suppose you're going to use this as an  
excuse for getting nothing accomplished. Am I right?"  
P "Now you're going to get it," DemiDevimon chuckled.  
P "Actually, my lord, I do have something to show," said Wizardmon. "The first thing I did  
was study the information on the Digivices, the Tags, and the Crests, trying to see how it is that  
they function. It seems that each of them is somehow keyed to the Digidestined's strongest traits.  
They draw on their owners' strengths to make the Digimon digivolve. Based on that theory, I  
designed this."  
P Reaching in his pocket, Wizardmon withdrew a shiny chunk of black rock and pitched it at  
Myotismon. One of the bats swooped down and caught it, delivering it to the open hand of its  
master. Myostimon studied the stone with a look of skepticism.  
P "Nothing much to look at," he said. "What does it do?"  
P "It's a Black Lens," said Wizardmon matter-of-factly. "Just as a true lens takes light and  
focuses it, this Black Lens focuses power. Theoretically, you should be able to use it make your  
servants more powerful."  
P "Theoretically?" Myotismon repeated.  
P "It hasn't been tested," said Wizardmon. "I thought you should be the one to choose who  
has the honor of receiving its power."  
p Myotismon nodded thoughtfully. The idea of a Black Lens was appealing, but the  
possibility that it might not work was not. There was a chance that it might destroy whoever he  
used it on, or make them so powerful that he wouldn't be able to control them. Well, then, he  
would have to test it on someone weak and expendable. Who? Not one of his warrior Digimon -  
most of them were too strong, and he needed every one of them for his conquest of the world. He  
glanced at his two subordinates, who seemed to have gone back to squabbling with each other.  
Sooner or later, he mused, he was going to have to be rid of one, before they started fighting with  
each other seriously. Wizardmon was strong enough and intelligent enough to be a valuable aide,  
but he was also proud and independent, and that was dangerous. Still, he needed him too much  
right now to sacrifice him. He shifted his gaze to DemiDevimon, who was generally  
incompetent, useless, annoying, and unswervingly loyal... Perfect!  
p "DemiDevimon," he said, "how would you like to try digivolving?"  
pcenter~*~/center  
P "There they are! Better late than never!" said Tai, hearing the door open.  
P "Took them long enough. Where have you been, Joe?" Matt asked. "And how did you get  
so wet?"  
p "Long story," said Joe, looking glumly at his soaked clothes. "I guess I should have  
changed my shoes, anyway. It's hot out there. I'll probably get athlete's foot."  
P "Can you die of hypochondria?" asked Tai.  
p "If anyone can, it's Joe," Sora replied.  
P "Don't just stand there, guys!" said T.K. "Come on in! Have a cookie!"  
P "You don't have to tell me twice!" Gomamon replied, bounding for the cookie platter.  
P Joe, Sora, and Biyomon went to join the rest of the group. They were all sitting around  
Matt's kitchen table - a tight fit, with eight humans and eight Digimon, plus Izzy's precious  
laptop. He was holding it a bit more defensively than usual in the wake of its brush with disaster,  
glaring at anyone who dared get too close to it. Even Tentomon was giving him a wider berth  
than usual.  
p "Okay, can anyone explain why I had to come all the way out here?" asked Mimi. "I'm  
supposed to be having my morning bubble bath, and my pedicure, and my facial, and-"  
p "Man, and I thought she was growing out of that," Tai muttered.  
P "You know Mimi," Sora replied. "If she grows out of anything, she's got to have a new  
one."  
P "Probably in six different colors," Matt added.  
P "You mean she's always like this?" asked Kari.  
P "Actually," said Palmon, "this is one of her good days."  
p "Why does everybody always pick on me?" Mimi whined.  
P "Don't make us answer that!" Tai shot back.  
p "She's right, it is unnecessary," said Joe, taking on the role of peacemaker. "I want to  
know why we're here, too, after all... So, why are we?"  
p "Communication," said Izzy. "More specifically, because Gennai wants to talk to us."  
P "So, we're all here," said Tai. "Let's get this over with!"  
P "Fine. Just let me open a channel..." Izzy replied. His fingers moved across the keyboard  
in a fair imitation of a small hailstorm, and the computer screen flickered as it kept pace. Then a  
small window opened, revealing their mentor's smiling face.  
P "Greetings, Digidestined!" he announced. "It's good to see you all again. I hear some of  
you had an interesting time last night."  
P "You could say that," Tentomon muttered.  
P "I'm afraid your troubles aren't over yet," said Gennai. "There's no telling what kind of  
information Myotismon could have taken from your computer, so you're going to have to be on  
full alert."  
P "What about that helper you promised?" said Tai. "Where is he? Why isn't he... you  
know, helping us?"  
P "He is," Gennai replied. "Who do you think was in there stealing Izzy's computer or  
creating magical doors?"  
P "So that was who found my laptop!" Izzy exclaimed. "I wondered about that."  
p "He must be very brave," said Gatomon, "to go into Myotismon's hideout."  
p "He is very brave," answered Gennai, "and very dedicated to helping you all. However, he  
is a bit shy - you probably won't be seeing him very often, not unless it absolutely can't be  
avoided."  
P "How come?" asked TK. "If he's our friend, he shouldn't have to be shy around us."  
p "It's all a matter of safety," said Izzy. "Our Digivices only record information on Digimon  
we've seen. If we never see this helper Digimon, we can't track him - and neither will Myotismon,  
even if he gets hold of my computer again."  
p "Exactly," said Gennai. "I want you all to be very careful - especially you, Gatomon. I'm  
almost sure Myotismon will try something after what happened last night."  
p The Digidestined and their companions nodded agreement, and Gennai said goodbye and  
closed the link.  
P "He sounded kind of worried," said Sora. "Do you think he knows something he's not  
telling?"  
p "I, for one, think he knows a ilot/i of things he's not telling," Gabumon commented.  
P "He's a weird guy, that's for sure," Tai agreed. "I wish we had asked him for some more  
information when we were visiting him."  
p "We didn't know what we were up against then," said Matt. "We still don't. Sometimes  
being Digidestined is a real drag."  
P "Only sometimes?" asked Joe. Nobody paid attention.  
P "So now we've got a helper," said Biyomon thoughtfully. "I wonder what he's like?"  
P "I thought I got a look at him," said Gatomon. "He ran around a corner, so I only got a  
little glimpse. When I chased after him, he disappeared."  
p "Weird," said Tai. "Well, I guess if we're lucky, we'll see him later."  
P "If we're not lucky," Joe corrected. "Remember what Gennai said? Whoever this Digimon  
is, he's not going to show his face unless we have a real emergency. If that's the case, I'd be just  
as happy to let him have some privacy."  
p "Does anyone know what time it is?" asked Palmon suddenly.  
P Matt glanced at the clock. "It's about ten o'clock. Why?"  
P "Is there usually fog on the road this late in the day?" she replied.  
P "Huh?" Everyone ran over to the window, where the plant Digimon was already standing  
on the tips of her roots to look out at the street below.  
P "There really is a fog out there," said Matt. "This can't be good."  
P "You're right," Mimi agreed. "Do you have any idea what humidity does to my hair?"  
P "There she goes again," muttered Tai. "Doesn't she ever quit?"  
P "Fog is Myotismon's outrider," said Gatomon. "First comes the haze of confusion and  
uncertainty, and then Myotismon comes under cover of its darkness. I once heard him say he  
intended to take the world by fog."  
P There was a small rattling sound, and no one had to look to know that Izzy was back to  
work on his computer.   
P "Gatomon's right," he replied. "Myotismon is on the move, and he's got some helpers  
with him."  
P "Oh, no, not again," said Joe. "How many times to we have to kill him before he stays  
dead?"  
p "What are we going to do?" asked Patomon, he and his companion wearing identical wide  
eyed expressions.  
P "The only thing we can do," Tai replied. "Go find them before they find us."  
P "Are you sure hiding wouldn't be a better idea?" asked Tentomon.  
P "Negative," said Izzy. "Tai's right. Sooner or later, Myotismon would find us. We should  
strike first while we've got the chance. Maybe this time we can finish off Myotismon once and for  
all!"  
P "I don't know," said Matt. "Sounds risky to me."  
p "So is sitting here waiting for Myotismon to come," Kari pointed out. "My big brother's  
not a genius, but he's not stupid, either."  
p "That's debatable," muttered Matt under his breath, but he didn't push the issue.  
P "All right, that's settled," said Tai. "You guys said I'm the leader, and I say we're going  
after Myotismon! Can your computer take us there, Izzy?"  
p "Sure thing. Just give me a nano to process the rest of this data," Izzy replied. "There!  
Got it! He's on the corner of Cherry Tree and 4th street and moving east."  
p "Great. We can circle around and sneak up on them from behind," Tai decided. "Come on,  
everyone! We've got a ghost to bust!"  
P The other Digidestined made sounds of agreement - except Mimi, who looked puzzled.  
P "Don't you mean a vampire?" she asked.  
P Tai rolled his eyes. "Well, Izzy's computer says he's a Ghost-type Digimon... right, Izzy?"  
P "Hmm?" asked Izzy. "What did you say? These readings I'm getting are crazy.  
Myotismon's goons must have corrupted some of my files."  
P "Never mind," Tai sighed. "Let's just get moving, okay?"  
P They trekked out of the apartment, with Izzy in the back, still pecking away at his  
computer.  
p "Extremely strange," he muttered. "My Digimon tracking system is picking up  
Myotismon, DemiDevimon, and iWizardmon./i But that's impossible... isn't it?"  
Pcenter~*~/center  
P Wizardmon was lurking. With his shadow-colored cloak pulled tightly around himself, he  
slid silently through the fog filled city. Myotismon had not given him permission to come along,  
and there would probably be retribution if he was discovered, but Wizardmon was not one to  
back down just because there might be danger involved. After all, his pride was at stake. After all  
the hours of hard work, all that time and effort he had put into creating the Black Lens, and it was  
DemiDevimon who would reap its benefits! DemiDevimon was of no use for anything save spying  
and brown-nosing, and he didn't even do those very well. He was certainly not fit to go up against  
the Digidestined. Even with the Black Lens's power on his side, he would lose through sheer  
stupidity, and then Myotismon would likely conclude that the object was worthless, and all  
Wizardmon's pains would come to nothing. He wasn't going to stand for that. Even when he was  
given orders to stay in the hideout and await his master's return, he had slipped out along with  
them, hidden in Myotismon's own fog, and trailed along to watch the battle... and to wait for a  
chance to intervene.  
P Meanwhile, the Digidestined were also out hunting. Gabumon and Gatomon had taken the  
lead, the former lighting the area by breathing a steady stream of blue flame while the latter kept  
her sharp eyes and ears peeled for trouble. Izzy followed close behind, charting their course with  
his laptop. Matt and Kari came next, keeping watch over their Digimon, while Tai and Agumon  
trailed them, unwilling to be left behind. The rest of the group tagged along in a haphazard  
fashion, watching for sneak attacks.  
P "Are we there yet?" Joe asked. "This fog keeps fogging up my glasses!"  
P "Shh!" Sora hissed. "We're trying to sneak up on them, remember?"  
P "Yeah, Joe, put a sock in it," Tai called. "Hey, Izzy, what's that computer of yours say?  
Are we anywhere close?"  
P "That's what I wanted to know," grumbled Joe.  
P "We're getting there," Izzy replied. "They should be just up ahead, so stay very quiet!"  
p The group tensed. They tiptoed along as quietly as they could, trying to ignore the way  
the fog seemed to wrap around them, becoming thicker and colder and wetter until they almost  
felt like they were drowning. Gomamon was tempted to jump into the air to see if he could swim  
in it, and Biyomon shuffled her sticky feathers uneasily. Suddenly, Gatomon froze in place, and  
Matt, not watching closely, tripped on her.  
p "Oof!" he cried as he hit the pavement.   
p "Me-yow!" Gatomon wailed as Matt fell on her.  
P "What was that?" asked a voice from the fog.  
P "Now you've done it," muttered Tai.   
P "Sorry," said Gatomon. "I just wanted to tell you that-"  
P "-Myotismon is here," Izzy finished.  
P "Right," she said.  
P A shape began to emerge from the darkness, and the fog-muffled air was slowly  
penetrated by the steady thudding of boots and fluttering of wings. As the Digidestined watched,  
the shadowy shape began to resolve itself into a tall, cloaked figure.  
P "I knew this was a bad idea, but nobody listens to me," Matt complained.  
p "Well, well, well," said Myotismon, "isn't this a pleasant surprise? Eight Digidestined and  
their little Digi-pets, all lost in the fog. How nice of you to come looking for me - it saves me the  
trouble of trying to find you."  
P "You don't scare us!" said TK bravely. "We beat you once, and we can do it again!"  
P "That's right, Myotismon," Gatomon added. "You're still weak from the last battle.  
There's no way you can stand up to us all."  
p "Think you're clever, do you?" answered Myotismon smoothly. "Did you really think I  
would walk into a battle unless I was sure I could win?"  
P "It never stopped you before," Tai replied.  
p "Silence!" Myotismon barked. "You're beginning to annoy me. I think it's time I showed  
you my new plaything. Allow me to reintroduce you to an old friend."  
P The Digidestined stared into the fog, where they could just barely see something moving.  
They ran through their memories of past battles, thinking of every evil Digimon they had ever  
faced, wondering who it was that Myotismon had called forth to meet them. With bated breath,  
they watched as their new opponent finally came into view...  
p "DemiDevimon?" Patamon exclaimed, wrinkling his nose. He still hadn't forgiven the bat-  
creature for trying to steal his companion.  
p "It's official," said Matt. "Myotismon has gone bananas. That last hit knocked him off his  
rocker."  
p Myotismon laughed, enjoying their discomfiture, and DemiDevimon echoed with his own  
raspy chuckle. He was enjoying himself immensely. He didn't quite understand just why he had  
suddenly come into his master's favor after failing so many times before, but he wasn't about to  
let that stop him from enjoying this chance.   
p "I'm back! Did you miss me?" he asked.  
p "Not hardly," Sora replied. "What are you doing here, DemiDevimon? You should be  
afraid to show your face around here. I've still got a score to settle with you for poisoning  
Biyomon."  
P "That was one of my better moves, wasn't it?" said DemiDevimon. "But that doesn't  
begin to compare with what I'm going to do now!"  
p "Yes! The time has come," Myotismon replied. "I call on the power of the Black Lens!  
iTransform!/i"  
P He raised the dark crystal skyward, and a wide sheet of darkness beamed from it and  
wrapped around DemiDevimon. It wrapped around him like a spiraling black hole, obscuring him  
in solid shadow for a moment... and then the lights started.   
P "What's going on?" asked Mimi, shying away from the eerie red-orange glow.  
P "I think... I think he's digivolving!" said Izzy.  
P "Into what?" asked Sora.  
P "Nothing good," Gatomon replied.  
P "I'll tell you what," laughed DemiDevimon's voice, echoing as if from far away and  
insanely exultant. "DemiDevimon digivolve to... iVilemon!/i"  
P The ring of shadow suddenly exploded, spraying little chips of darkness everywhere, and  
out of the explosion stepped what could only be identified as a ithing./i It had a hairy body  
like an emaciated ape, all greasy black and grey fur. It's feet were tipped with short, stubby claws,  
but its bony hands terminated in needle-like talons. Its head was too big for its body, hanging off  
its hunched back without benefit of a neck. Its enormous mouth lolled open, showing a long red  
tongue and an abundance of teeth. Sunken red eyes with green centers squinted out of the dark  
skin of its face. A mane of red-orange fur went from its forehead to its shoulder blades, from  
which sprouted a double pair of bat's wings.  
P "How do you like me now, Digidestined?" it laughed.  
P "What in the world is that thing?" Matt wondered.  
P "That's Vilemon," said Tentomon, "a Digimon of the pure Evil category. He's really not  
the kind you want to invite to your birthday party."  
P "Well, he's still just a Champion Digimon," said Izzy. "We ought to be able to take him."  
P "Go ahead and try me!" Vilemon replied.  
P "You asked for it, then!" said Tai. "Ready, you guys? It's digivolving time!"  
P "Agumon, digivolve to... Greymon!"  
P "Gabumon, digivolve to... Garurumon!"  
P "Tentomon, digivolve to... Kabuterimon!"  
P "Palmon, digivolve to... Togemon!"  
P "Biyomon, digivolve to... Birdramon!"  
P "Gomamon, digivolve to... Ikkakumon!"  
P "Patamon, digivolve to... Angemon!"  
P "How do you like ius/i now, Vilemon?" growled Greymon.  
P "Not much," Vilemon replied. "I think I'll just have to get rid of you! iNightmare  
Shocker!/i"  
P With a flick of his claws, Vilemon threw a ball of black energy at the nearest cluster of  
Digimon. Garurumon leaped out of the way, but Greymon was slower, and he fell heavily against  
a building.  
P "Hey, you can't do that to him!" Garurumon growled. "I'll teach you to mess with my  
friends. iHowling Blaster!/i"  
P Blue flames roared from the great white wolf's mouth, rushing over the place Vilemon  
was... only he wasn't there anymore. He was up in the air, humming around them like a moth near  
a flame.   
P "Catch me if you can, wolfman!" he taunted.  
P "The air is iour/i territory," said Birdramon, nodding to Kabuterimon. "Let's show  
him how it's done. iMeteor Wing!/i"  
P "iElectro Shocker!/i" Kabuterimon added.  
P Balls of fire and lightning rolled across the sky, only to be deflected by a flick of  
Vilemon's claws. The bat-monster laughed maniacally, but his laughter turned to a howl of pain as  
a smoking missile slammed into his unprotected underside. He swooped out of the way in time to  
avoid a second shot and looked down to see Ikkakumon firing a steady barrage of Harpoon  
Torpedoes. He dove at the shaggy walrus Digimon and got a face full of needles for his trouble.  
P "How do you like that, huh?" Togemon called. "Come down here and I'll give you some  
more!"  
P "Not today!" Vilemon replied, clawing the spikes away from his face. "iNightmare  
Shocker!/i"  
P The blast of dark energy shot through the air again, and ungainly Ikkakumon couldn't get  
out of the way. Togemon could, though, and she did. She dove and rolled, narrowly avoiding  
turning Mimi into a pincushion as she did. Then she sprang to her feet and sent another Needle  
Spray flying at her attacker. Vilemon was too quick, though - he shot straight up into the air, and  
the needles stabbed at Birdramon instead. She screeched and plummeted to earth.   
P "Four down, four to go!" Vilemon cackled, watching delightedly as Sora ran to her  
companion. "Man, this is so cool! Who wants to be next?"  
P "How about me?" boomed a voice.   
P Vilemon turned and found himself staring into Angemon's iron visage, holding his  
gleaming Angel Rod at ready. The monster winced.  
P "Uh, hi," he managed.  
P "Do you feel like taking me on, Vilemon?" Angemon asked. "I destroyed Devimon, and I  
can do the same to you."  
P "Maybe," said Vilemon, "but you didn't do so well against Myotismon, did you?"  
P "What?" Angemon turned and saw a wave of red light coming straight at him.  
P "iCrimson Lightning!/i" Myotismon shouted.  
P There was no time to counter-attack, or even react at all. Angemon let out a scream of  
pain and fell, landing in a pile of crumpled white feathers.  
P "Angemon!" TK screamed, running to join his protector. "Angemon, are you okay? Say  
something!"  
P "I'm all right," Angemon managed, struggling to his feet.  
P Myotismon watched the scene with a cold smile. This was working out better than he had  
expected! Who would have imagined that a bit of black glass could transform DemiDevimon from  
a worthless peon into a powerful fighter? This experiment was definitely paying off. He might not  
even need to keep Wizardmon around after all!  
P A sizzling sound warned him just in time to dodge a ball of blue and lilac electricity. The  
close escape was shock enough to draw him back to the matter at hand, and Myotismon wheeled  
in midair to send a flight of screeching bats to deal with Kabuterimon. He made a mental note not  
to start daydreaming in the middle of a battle again - that had been close almost to the point of  
being embarrassing.  
P Meanwhile, Gatomon was working herself into a fighting fury, her white fur bristling and  
tail twitching. When she saw Angemon go down, she leaped into action. In a snowy blur, she  
raced down the street, hit the wall of a building, and rebounded, using her sharp claws to give her  
leverage as she propelled herself into the air and across the street, landing on the side of another  
skyscraper. Letting her momentum carry her onward and upward, she streaked into the sky and  
landed squarely on Vilemon's face.  
P "I never liked you anyway," she growled. "iLightning Claw!/i"  
P Vilemon screamed again and clawed the cat off his face, which was now marked with  
eight crisscrossing red marks from her claws. She spun through the air, caterwauling in terror,  
until she landed on the head of the prone Greymon.  
p "Umph!" he snorted, startled out of unconsciousness as a flying feline fell on his snout.  
P "Gatomon, are you all right?" Kari called.   
P "I'm fine," she replied, bouncing nimbly off her friend's nose. "Cats ido/i land on  
their feet, you know."  
P "What's going on?" asked Greymon dazedly. "I was having this weird dream about  
DemiDevimon..."  
P "It's no dream, Greymon!" Tai called. "We need your help, before Vilemon and  
Myotismon toast us all!"  
p "They can't do that!" said Greymon, surging to his feet. "Toasting's imy/i job!"  
P "And mine!" Garurumon added. "Let's get this job done! iHowling Blaster!/i"  
P "iNova Blast!/i" Greymon added.  
P Waves of blue and orange fire shot up into the sky in a dazzling display of pyrotechnics.  
Vilemon didn't even bother to dodge - he just shouted and waved his claws, and the fires  
dispersed as soon as they touched him. Greymon and Garurumon exchanged looks of shock, as  
did their companions.  
P "Wha' happened?" asked Tai. "That should have blown him right out of the sky!"  
P "I don't know," Matt replied, "but I don't like it one little bit."  
P They stood staring up at the sky, where Kabuterimon was filling the air with lightning as  
he tried to dodge attacks from Vilemon and Myotismon - and occasionally Togemon, as she fired  
off rounds of spines. It was in that moment that they both became aware of a sound, a small,  
familiar, and not particularly welcome sound. Matt and Tai turned in disbelief to stare at Izzy,  
who was sitting on the ground, oblivious to everything that was going on around him, tapping on  
his computer.  
P "What do you think you're doing?!" Matt demanded, outraged. "Your Digimon is up  
there fighting for his life! This is no time to be playing solitaire!"  
P Izzy turned and gave his friend a look that said he was wondering just what cave Matt had  
crawled out of.  
P "I know that," he said. "For your information, I'm trying to help him win this battle.  
There's something strange going on here, and I'm trying to pin it down so we can fight it."  
p "What are you talking about?" asked Tai.  
P "There is no way Vilemon can be as powerful as he is," said Izzy. "It just doesn't  
compute. He's only a Champion Digimon. Our eight Champions ought to be able to out-muscle  
him, but we're barely holding our own. He's getting energy from somewhere, and if we can find  
where it's coming from... Ah! Here it is!"  
P "What? What?" Tai dropped to his hands and knees to peer at the screen.  
P "Right there. You see?" asked Izzy, pointing at the readout. "It's that stone Myotismon  
was carrying. He's using it like a Digivice! We've got to get it away from him!"  
P "All right! You hear that?" Tai shouted to whoever might be listening. "Aim for  
Myotismon! Get rid of that rock!"  
P "Rock and roll!" Garurumon agreed. He gathered himself up and sprang, soaring through  
the air with his jaws wide, flying toward Myotismon.  
P "iGrisly Wing!/i" the vampire shouted. He flung his arms and cloak wide,  
summoning forth a flight of bats.   
P "iHowling Blaster!/i" Garurumon retorted. Blue flame jetted from his mouth, and the  
bats perished with tiny squeaks. The white wolf flew on unharmed.  
P It would not be fair to say that Myotismon was worried. He did, however, make some  
quick decisions. Despite his great power, he was not all that physically imposing, unlike the  
bristling, snarling beast that was hurtling toward him and showing off its teeth, claws, and  
firepower. His first attack had obviously done nothing useful, and there wasn't enough time to call  
up a second. Instead, Myotismon flicked his wings and let himself drop out of the sky. Garurumon  
passed harmlessly over his head. The vampire congratulated himself on a move well made... and  
then something hit him.  
P "iHand of Fate!/i" shouted an all-too-familiar voice, and Myotismon felt the ball of  
golden-white light energy burning into him. Angemon had finally recovered his strength, and now  
he was back for revenge.  
P Vilemon saw the danger his master was in and tried to thwart it with another Nightmare  
Shocker, but the combined interference of Kabuterimon, Togemon, and Greymon kept him too  
busy dodging needles and fireballs to even think about attacking. Meanwhile, Myotismon  
struggled to recover himself, but that wasn't easy with an avenging angel bearing down on him.  
He hissed and bared his sharp teeth at the white-winged wonder, determined to go down fighting.  
P "iCrimson Lightning!/i" he shouted, flailing whips of red energy at his foe.   
P Angemon countered by producing his Angel Rod and twirling it expertly, deflecting the  
beams of light and sending them ricocheting back to strike at Myotismon. The monster screamed  
in pain and frustration as he lost control of his spell and his flight capabilities all at once. He  
landed with an undignified grunt in the street, his cloak falling around him in a heap of crumpled  
crimson and black. The Black Lens tumbled from his pocket as he fell and bounced on the  
pavement, spinning in the air and flashing with sparks of power for a brief instant before falling  
again and becoming lost in the darkness of an alley.  
P High above, Vilemon let out a squawk as he felt a sudden sinking sensation come over  
him.  
P "What's going on?" he wailed. "I'm losing my strength! Aaaargh!"  
P He plummeted like a stone but landed safely in a garbage can, which emitted a flicker of  
flame and shadow colors as his power dissipated. The other nearby Digimon scrambled over to  
have a look. What they found was a grungy and malodorous DemiDevimon crawling out of the  
trash. He looked up at all the curious eyes staring down at him.   
P "Uhhh..." he said. "I gotta go now. Bye!"  
P With a flutter of his wings, DemiDevimon bounded out of the trash can and scurried off  
into the night.   
P Meanwhile, Angemon had alighted on the ground next to the battered Myotismon, who  
glared up at him with pure hatred burning in his eyes.  
P "You think you've won," he snarled, pulling himself painfully off the ground. "Well, you  
haven't. This was only the practice round. Remember, Digidestined, I can make more Black  
Lenses, and I can use them on far more powerful Digimon. Think of that, and be afraid." He  
vanished in a swirl of bats.  
P As soon as their human friends were out of danger, the Digimon returned to their base  
states, and their companions went to tend to them, praising their bravery and comforting their  
injuries. It wasn't until a few moments had gone by that anyone thought to look for the Black  
Lens.   
P "Where did that thing go, anyway?" Tai wondered. "We fought hard enough for it. I want  
to see it!"  
P "You're crazy, Tai," said Matt. "You don't need to mess with that thing. Who  
knows what kind of trouble it would cause!"  
P "We should find it, though," Sora replied. "Someone needs to get rid of it, so Myotismon  
can't use it again. Did anyone see where it landed?"  
P "I think it went over there," said Gatomon, trotting off in the direction she'd seen it fall.  
P Joe was the closest to the alley, so he had the best view of what happened next. Gatomon  
padded along on her silent cat feet, slipping through the slowly clearing wisps of fog. As the  
shadows gradually drifted away, she looked up to see a dark shape gliding toward her. Her eyes  
widened, trying to assure herself that she was really seeing what she thought she saw. Her ears  
and whiskers pricked up as she discerned the tall pointed hat, the flapping cape, the staff tipped  
with a sunburst...  
P "Wizardmon?" she whispered. "Is that you?"  
P Joe stared. A psychic he was not, but he was cautious to the bone, and something was  
telling him that this situation was very, very wrong. He clearly remembered Wizardmon - he had  
been there when Zudomon had fished the sodden wizard out of the Tokyo bay and listened to his  
whispery voice demanding to be brought to Kari and Gatomon. He remembered the pain in his  
voice and the weariness in his eyes... His eyes! That was it. That was what was bothering him - he  
didn't remember Wizardmon's eyes being that particular shade of red, or seeing them glow like  
that...  
P "Gatomon, get back!" he called.  
P Gatomon looked at him in disbelief. "But - but that's Wizardmon! Don't you see him?"  
P "No! Gatomon, something isn't right! You should stay away, before-"  
p "iMagical Game!/i" Wizardmon shouted, pitching a ball of glowing energy at  
Gatomon. She stared, too shocked even to cry out, as the burning light flew toward her...  
P Something slammed into her from the side, sending her spinning along the ground until  
they both tumbled to a halt, and the energy bolt flew harmlessly past. Gatomon sat up and shook  
herself, finding Joe sprawled next to her. His glasses lay a short distance away, thrown off in his  
wild dive to rescue her.  
P "I told you to get out of the way," he muttered.  
P Gatomon blinked, uncomprehending, at the scorched spot where the attack had struck the  
pavement. She looked back up with pain and confusion in her eyes.  
P "Wizardmon, what are you doing?" she asked.  
P Wizardmon chuckled softly, shaking his head in amusement. Those intense blue eyes, once  
filled with pride and defiance, were nearly brimming with tears.  
p "You little ifool/i," he spat. "Did you think you could get away with your treachery?  
You have defied the master of ghosts, the lord of the undead, the great Myotismon! You served  
him long enough to know that he does not take kindly to betrayal. That is why I am here. He has  
sent me to deliver the punishment you deserve... because you really can't stop me, can you?"  
P "What has he done to you?" Gatomon cried.  
p "He has brought me to his side, where I should be," said Wizardmon, "and where you  
should be as well. The price of treachery will be a return to abject loyalty... or utter annihilation!"  
P "You keep away from her!" shouted Gomamon, bounding into the alley to put himself  
between Wizardmon and his friends. "Are you crazy? We saved your life! You can't turn against  
us!"  
P "I owe you nothing," said Wizardmon firmly. "I belong to Myotismon. Behold his power!"  
P From a fold of his cape, Wizardmon produced the Black Lens, holding it up and letting its  
fire-shadow fall around him.  
P "No! Stop him!" Gatomon shouted, trying to leap at him, but Joe held her back.  
P "Keep away from that thing!" he said. "If you get caught in there, you might turn into a  
monster too!"  
P "But... but..."she stammered.  
p The swirling shadows wove their net of darkness around the wizard, enveloping him in  
their power, and he felt the change coming over him.  
P "iTransform!/i" he shouted. "Wizardmon, digivolve to...iAsuramon!/i"  
P The darkness exploded, sending the occupants of the alley tumbling head over heels into  
the street. The rest of the Digidestined and their Digimon ran to make sure they were all right...  
and then they looked up to see what had become of Wizardmon.  
P "Oh, man," Matt muttered. "Does anyone else get the feeling this is not good?"  
P Out of the shadows stepped hulking, musclebound humanoid with flames dancing over its  
charcoal-black skin. It wore heavy gold cuffs and bracelets on each of its four arms, more around  
its ankles, and ropes of golden beads around its neck. It had three masked faces, each covered in a  
different color - one red, one blue, and one gold - and all of them were scowling ferociously,  
baring sharp fangs. On the whole, it looked like some kind of angry fire-idol had escaped from  
some lost temple.  
P "Hold on, guys. I'm starting to get a reading on him," said Izzy, tapping frantically at his  
keyboard. "That's Asuramon, an Ultimate-level wizard digimon with a fiery temper. Even when  
he puts his best face forward, he still looks mean!"  
p "Ultimate, huh?" said Tai, reaching for his Tag and Crest. "Guess it's time to take it up a  
level!"  
P The other Digidestined nodded, each reaching for the magical amulets that would boost  
their Digimon's strength... all except for Joe, who was busy scrambling around on the ground,  
feeling for his missing glasses.  
P "What's going on? I can't see!" he complained.  
P Agumon and Gabumon, who had come through the last battle in reasonably good shape,  
had already transformed their way up to MetalGreymon and WereGarurumon. They squared off  
with Asuramon, who locked eyes with both of them at once.  
P "You don't look like you're impressed," he said through his main face, as the other two  
glared at his enemies. "I may have to do something about that."  
P "Not a chance," growled MetalGreymon. "iGiga Blasters!/i"  
P "iFist of Asura!/i" Asuramon countered.  
P MetalGreymon's front panels opened, releasing two smoking torpedoes, but they were  
met head on by two balls of fire thrown from Asuramon's fists. They struck each other with a  
rocking explosion, leaving both parties unharmed.  
P "You see?" said Asuramon. "You can't fight fire with fire! Now, get out of the way. You  
aren't the ones I came for. iShe's/i the one I want." He pointed at Gatomon, who was still  
staring in frozen shock.  
p "Not if I can help it!" said WereGarurumon. "In case you didn't know, I pack quite a  
punch myself. iWolf Claw!/i"  
P He sprang at Asuramon, and the two became locked in a flaming fistfight, with flashes of  
fire from Asuramon mingling with the glints of WereGarurumon's spiked brass knuckles. The  
other Digimon looked on, unsure of how to intervene without finding themselves stabbed or  
scorched.   
P "Joe, what are you doing?" called Gomamon, nearly jumping up and down in excitement.  
"They need our help! They need a water Digimon to fight that fire Digimon, and I can't turn into  
Zudomon without you!"  
P "But I can't see!" Joe complained. "If I could just find my... huh?"  
P There was a small clatter as he felt something being dropped on his hand, and he fumbled  
with the object. He was amazed to find that he had just had his glasses returned to him... but by  
whom? He unfolded them and shoved them on just in time to see a flapping dark shape  
disappearing into the shadows.  
p "Did you see that?" he asked, turning to Gomamon.  
p "See what?" Gomamon replied. He was staring at the fight between Asuramon and  
WereGarurumon.  
P "I thought I saw... well, never mind," Joe replied. "Whoa, what's that thing? Is that  
Wizardmon?"  
P "That's what I've been trying to tell you!" shouted Gomamon. "The others need our  
help!"  
p "All right, already!" Joe replied.   
p Light flared from Joe's Crest as Gomamon transformed into Ikkakumon, and then again  
into Zudomon. In the next instant, something whizzed through the air, and there was a loud  
ibonk!/i WereGarurumon watched in bafflement at Asuramon, who had suddenly dropped to  
the ground, groaning and rubbing his head. Zudomon caught his hammer expertly as it  
boomeranged back to him and grinned with all his sharp teeth. WereGarurumon looked at him  
and grinned as well.  
p "Nice timing!" he rumbled. "What do you say we finish this now?"  
P "I'm all for it!" said MetalGreymon.  
P "Same here!" Zudomon agreed. "iVulcan's Hammer!/i"  
P "iGiga Blaster!/i"  
P "iWolf Claw!/i"  
P All three attacks struck the prone Asuramon, combining to make a huge explosion and a  
mushrooming cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared, Asuramon was gone.  
P "Did we get him?" asked Tai, looking around.  
p "No! How could you?" Gatomon yelped, bounding into the street.  
P "Gatomon, come back here!" Kari called.  
p A fireball dropped out of the sky, and Gatomon just barely had time to react. She dodged  
the main impact, but the rushing flames wrapped around her, solidifying into the dark shape of  
Asuramon. He gripped the struggling cat tightly and grinned at the stunned Digidestined.  
P "It's going to take more than that to defeat the power of Myotismon and the Black Lens!"  
he boasted. "iMultiple Faces!/i"  
P His three pairs of eyes lit up, firing searing streaks of light at the three Ultimate Digimon.  
They flew through the air and crunched into the pavement, much to their companions' dismay.  
The other Digimon, weakened by the earlier attacks, could only watch.  
P "The game is over, little one," said Asuramon to Gatomon. "Now is the time to pay for  
your treachery. Say goodbye to your little friend!"  
P "Gatomon, digivolve!" Kari shouted, waving her Tag. "Turn into Angewomon and fight  
him off!"  
P "I... I can't!" Gatomon wailed, tears streaming down her face. "I can't do it! I can't fight  
my best friend!" 


	3. Good Things Come In Threes

Good Things Come in Threes  
By: SilvorMoon  
  
p The Digidestined and their companions stared in horror at the scene before them: someone  
who should have been a friend who was now transformed into a monster, and their companion  
hanging helpless in the creature's hands. Gatomon wasn't even resisting as she dangled there. She  
was very still and very silent, shocked to deeply to even react anymore.  
p "Gatomon, get away!" Kari screamed desperately. "Move or he'll kill you!"  
p The little cat's ears didn't even twitch. She wasn't seeing or hearing anything anymore, and  
the sight of her paralysis scared Kari even more than the impending peril. It was as if she had  
already died and was just waiting for the rest of the world to realize it.  
P "We've got to get her away from him!" said Tai.  
p "Not a chance, Digidestined," Asuramon snarled. "If any of you make a move, your little  
friend gets it. Surrender your Digivices and maybe I'll let the rest of you live."  
P "Don't you dare hurt Gatomon!" Kari shouted. "If you hurt her, I'll - I'll..."  
p "You'll what?" the monster sneered. "Face it! You all are helpless against the power of the  
Black Lens!"  
P "But I'm not!" boomed a voice from the darkness. "I didn't want to intervene in this battle,  
but you've pushed me too far! I won't let you break an innocent Digimon's heart and use her love  
for her friends against her!"  
p All heads were turning in confusion as they searched for the source of the voice. Hearing  
it even made Gatomon seem to revive a little. Asuramon looked uneasy.  
p "Who are you?" he demanded. "Come out and show yourself!"  
p "As you wish," the voice replied.  
p There was a burst of green light, and then a dazzling shape dropped out of the sky. In  
form, it was very like Angemon and Angewomon, a winged humanoid partly covered in green  
armor. Its face was hidden by a mask, but green light could be seen through a veiwslit. It held a  
silver sword in one hand.  
p "Another angel!" said TK in awe.  
p "Where did Ihe/I come from?" asked Tai.  
p "That must be the helper Gennai promised us!" said Izzy. "I must say, I'm rather  
impressed."  
P "I didn't know we had another one of those," said Joe.  
p The newcomer eyed Asuramon with an expression of utter disgust.  
p "You are a disgrace to Digimon everywhere," he said. "It is my duty to avenge the wrongs  
you have done, starting by releasing your captive. Let her go before I'm forced to hurt you."  
p "You couldn't," said Asuramon.  
p "Want to bet?" the stranger replied. "Digimon of deception, be what you are! ISword  
of Truth!/I"  
p The angel Digimon lunged at Asuramon, swinging his sword in a burning arc. Asuramon  
threw his dark fires at the approaching enemy, but the instant they touched the gleaming sword,  
they melted into nothingness. The blade struck, and there was an explosion of light that made  
everyone cover their eyes...  
p When their sight cleared, Asuramon was gone. In his place was a groggy-looking  
Wizardmon, still clutching the impotent Black Lens. Gatomon lay a few feet away, her shining  
eyes riveted on the creature that hovered above her. Wizardmon shook himself, and shot a  
malevolent glare at the angel Digimon.  
p "You're going to pay for that," he hissed.  
p "I think not," the angel replied. "Or do you really want to make me do that again?"  
p "Well, perhaps you're not going to pay inow,/i Wizardmon replied, backing away a  
bit, "but the time will come when you will be punished!"  
p "Don't make me angry," said the angel. "You know I'm only refraining from destroying  
you to spare Gatomon any more suffering. She's hurt enough in her lifetime to have to suffer  
because of you. Return to your master, and tell him you've seen the Seraphmon."  
P Wizardmon's eyes widened as he heard the name, but he said nothing. Leaping to his feet,  
he swirled his cloak around him and vanished into the shadows of an alley. Seraphmon dropped  
out of the sky to kneel by Gatomon's side.  
p "Are you all right, Gatomon?" he asked gently.  
p "I... I think so..." she managed.  
p "I am sorry that had to happen," Seraphmon said. "More sorry than you can imagine."  
p Very carefully, he picked her up and carried her to Kari, depositing her gently in the young  
Digidestined's arms.  
p "Take good care of her," he instructed. "And don't worry, everything will be all right.  
You have my word on it. Now I must go, before my power runs out. Farewell, Digidestined!"  
P Before anyone could return the parting words, Seraphmon sprang into the air and  
vanished in a burst of green light. Everyone stared up at the sky, still dumbstruck with  
amazement.  
p "Okay," said Tai, "could someone explain that dude to me? What in the Digiworld is a  
Seraphmon?"  
P "I don't know," Tentomon admitted. "I've never seen a Digimon like that before!"  
p "I know what it is! I know what it is!" Gomamon piped up, bouncing around excitedly.  
p "Well, do enlighten us," said Tentomon, miffed that Gomamon knew something he didn't.  
p "It's an old legend," Gomamon explained. "Unimon told me all about it when I was just a  
baby Pitchmon. Once upon a time, terrible, evil Digimon swept across the Digiworld and  
destroyed a lot of the good Digimon who lived there. Some Digimon tried to fight the monsters,  
but nobody could stop them. Some of the Digimon got so angry at having their friends killed that  
they digivolved into Seraphmon, the avenger Digimon, and destroyed the monsters. They say that  
if anything really bad happens, Seraphmon will sometimes appear to make things right. They're  
powerful warriors who hate any kind of cruelty or deception... but nobody's seen one for  
thousands of years!"  
p "Well, we've seen one now, haven't we?" said Matt. "And not too soon, either!"  
p "You can say that again," said Kari, snuggling her still-trembling companion. "Gatomon  
almost got squished!"  
p "That was weird," said Izzy. The tell-tale tapping was back again as his fingers pattered  
across the keys of his laptop. "Absolutely none of that last battle made any sense at all."  
P Sora rolled her eyes. "What was your first hint?"  
p "Well, Vilemon's powers, for one thing," answered Izzy, missing the sarcasm entirely.  
"According to my readings, Vilemon is supposed to be a very weak Digimon, certainly nothing  
that could bash our Champions around like that. And Asuramon is a Vaccine type Digimon. He's  
usually peaceful and shy, and he's not in Wizardmon's family tree at all. In other words, in all the  
natural laws of the Digiworld, Wizardmon should inot/i have been able to become  
Asuramon, and even if he could, he shouldn't have acted like that."  
p "He shouldn't have acted like that at iall/i!" Gatomon wailed. "He tried to kill me!  
Why would he do something like that? Do you think he's angry at me, Kari? When Myotismon  
attacked him, I just stood there. I didn't do anything to defend him or anything, and when he  
disappeared, I didn't go looking for him. Do you think he's mad at me for that? Maybe he thinks I  
don't like him anymore..."  
P "Gatomon, don't think things like that!" Surprisingly, Joe was the one who was arguing  
with her. "I may not know your Wizardmon friend very well, but I do remember how devoted he  
was to you. He was a nice guy. He would never do anything like this unless something really  
weird had happened. No matter what, none of this is your fault. All right?"  
P Gatomon nodded, albeit somewhat uncertainly. Mimi looked at Joe with admiration.  
p "Wow, Joe, I didn't know you were such a great speechmaker," she said.  
p Joe shrugged and blushed a little. "Well, you know, I just can't stand to see a grown  
kittycat cry."  
P "I guess we should all be getting home now," said Tai, staring up at the sky uneasily. The  
day that had started out sunny was turning overcast, hinting that more unpleasant things were still  
waiting for them. "It's better than waiting around for Myotismon to launch anything else nasty at  
us."  
P The others agreed, and they split up to begin wandering dazedly back to their homes to  
mull over this new, disastrous turn of events. Gatomon rode limply in Kari's arms, her eyes wide  
and frightened.  
P "Don't worry," Kari soothed. "I'm going to look after you. Things are going to be all  
right."  
p "I don't know," said Gatomon. "I don't know if they can be, anymore...."  
pcenter~*~/center  
p It was a rather disheveled and annoyed Wizardmon who returned to Myotismon's lair. He  
paused at the threshold to brush off his cloak and shake the dents out of his hat, and the faint  
noises caught the attention of a certain sharp-eared bat who opened his glittering golden eyes to  
investigate.  
P "Well, well, well!" he rasped. "If it isn't the failure come back at last! How does it feel to  
know your stupid Black Lens doesn't work?"  
p "It idid/i work," Wizardmon snapped. "It's not my fault that you couldn't make use  
of the powers you were given."  
p "Hey, I did a perfectly good job!" said DemiDevimon. "It's not my fault I was  
outnumbered. Those kids don't play fair. Anyway, I did a lot better than you could have done...  
what ihave/i you been doing, anyway? I thought Lord Myotismon told you to stay behind!"  
P "Lord Myotismon also told me to take care of Gatomon, and that's what I've been  
doing," Wizardmon replied. "I don't think she'll be giving us any more trouble. Now, if you'll  
excuse me, I have an urgent message to deliver."  
p With that, he whacked the bat Digimon out of the way with his staff and swept into the  
shadows of Myotismon's lair.  
p "Message? What message?" asked DemiDevimon, instantly curious. "Hey, wait for me!"  
p Wizardmon was surprised to find Myotismon standing in the main chamber, looking  
remarkably calm and unruffled considering the fact that he'd just recently returned from being  
knocked about by Angemon. A circle of light hung in the air, composed of a ring of flittering bats  
channeling Myotismon's power. Wizardmon couldn't make out anything more than wavering  
green-yellow light, but Myotismon seemed to be seeing something that pleased him, and his fangs  
glinted in the circle's luminance. Deciding that the merits of going ahead and talking now while  
Myotismon was in a good mood outweighed the possible disadvantages of interrupting him,  
Wizardmon cleared his throat. Myotismon turned his head to give the wizard Digimon an icy  
stare.  
P "Well," he said, "I was wondering when you'd decide to come home. Would you like to  
explain what you've been up to?"  
P "I just decided to tag along and watch the fight," said Wizardmon. That was more or less  
the truth. "That, and to keep an eye on my Black Lens. I've brought it back, by the way."  
p "Fine. That saves me some trouble," said Myotismon. "I don't suppose you were at all  
tempted to try it out?"   
P "Um... well, actually..."  
p "I thought so," Myotismon replied. "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist playing with  
your new toy."  
p "You're gonna get it now!" DemiDevimon snickered. Wizardmon gave him a look of  
death, but the little bat monster just grinned insolently.  
P "Silence!" Myotismon snapped. "Your opinion was not asked for, DemiDevimon. I am  
speaking to Wizardmon, if you don't mind."  
p "All right, all right, sheesh!" muttered DemiDevimon.  
P "Now, then, Wizardmon," the dark lord continued, "I should be very annoyed with you.  
You've disobeyed your orders and made use of powers that you were not given permission to  
use. Nor did I permit you to do battle with the Digidestined. iHowever-/i" He barked the  
word at DemiDevimon, who had been grinning with fiendish delight at the harangue and leaning  
forward to catch every word. "-since the experiment was so successful, I'm going to let you off  
the hook this time."  
P Wizardmon tried to hide a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Lord Myotismon."  
P "Your Black Lens proved remarkably effective," Myotismon continued. "If it can make a  
Digimon as pathetic as DemiDevimon powerful enough to give the Digidestined a run for their  
money, the results produced by using it on a truly impressive Digimon should be enough to  
trounce them once and for all! ...By the way, how did iyou/i fare against those annoying  
human children? Some strange force prevented me from watching the battle. I thought it might be  
some kind of side effect of the Black Lens's power."  
P "I... am not quite so sure that is the case," said Wizardmon slowly. "There were other  
powers afoot in this battle besides ours and the Digidestined's. You see, they had help."  
P "Help?" Myotismon was instantly alert. "What kind of help?"  
P "Just as I was about to destroy the Digidestined, a very unusual Digimon appeared out of  
nowhere and attacked me, and nothing I did had any effect on him. He... told me to give you a  
message."  
P "Well? Out with it already!" growled Myotismon. "What kind of message could some  
wretched, interfering mystery Digimon have for me?"  
P "He said to tell you... I am to report that I have seen the Seraphmon."  
p Wizardmon cringed as the tension in the room became almost palpable, hitting him like a  
slap in the face. Myotismon's eyes went wide for an instant, and even DemiDevimon looked  
nervous. Then Myotismon's look of shock - it couldn't be fear, could it? - shifted to an expression  
of desperate skepticism.  
p "Say that again," he said. "The whole thing. What exactly did you see?"  
P "I saw an angel Digimon, similar to Angemon or Angewomon, wielding a silver sword and  
dressed in green armor. He told me he had come to right the wrongs I had done and struck me  
down, and when I had fallen, he landed next to me and told me I was to tell you that I had seen  
the Seraphmon... What iis/i a Seraphmon, anyway?"  
P "It is a legend," said Myotismon. "The lives of all great Digimon, good and evil, are ruled  
by legends and prophecies. Seraphmon is one such legend. He comes into being when a Digimon  
is wronged so greatly that sheer anger allows him to digivolve. Once in the form of Seraphmon,  
he lives only to fight injustice." He paused, staring worriedly into space. "Just as Devimon knew it  
was to be his fate that he would be destroyed by the smallest of the Digidestined humans, it was  
foretold that I would be overcome by the powers of a Seraphmon. This creature you fought has  
sent me a death threat!"  
p "No way!" DemiDevimon cried. "No way some overgrown Tooth Fairy is going to  
destroy you, boss!"  
p "Stop your mindless babbling," Myotismon barked. "The legends predicted the come of  
the Digidestined, and the Digidestined have come. The legends told of how Devimon would be  
destroyed, and he met his end as predicted. It would be unwise to tempt fate by ignoring the  
prophecy. I will simply have to devise a way of being rid of this Seraphmon before he can get me  
into any more trouble."  
p "Lord Myotismon, I have a small suggestion to make," said Wizardmon timidly. "Or...  
perhaps I should call it a request?"  
p "Do you dare make requests at a time like this?" asked Myotismon dangerously.  
p "Oh, no, my lord! I simply meat to point something out," Wizardmon answered hastily. "I  
was thinking that, if what you say is true, it would might be best if I were to avoid doing battle  
with Seraphmon... or Gatomon, for a while."  
P "What's the matter, Wizardmon? Afraid of being beaten again?" DemiDevimon sneered.  
P "How many times do I have to tell you to be quiet?" Myotismon snarled. He turned back  
to his other servant. "Well, Wizardmon? Answer the bat's question. Why don't you want to fight  
Seraphmon again?"  
p "It's not so much that I don't want to," said Wizardmon carefully. "Certainly I would fight  
him again if your lordship wished. I simply wanted to say that I don't think it would be wise. You  
say that Seraphmon are avengers, righters of wrongs. What wrong could we have possibly done  
to bring down the wrath of a Seraphmon except for our plot against Gatomon? After all, he has  
never appeared until just now, when we set our plan in motion, and when he appeared, he seemed  
to be more concerned with her welfare than destroying me."   
P *iOtherwise, I might not be here,/i* he thought, but he didn't dare say that aloud.  
p Myotismon smiled a bit, showing the tips of his fangs. "Yes, that is a particularly vile plot.  
Perhaps it iis/i devious enough to awaken the slayer of deceivers."  
P "Then why are you smiling?" Wizardmon wanted to know.  
P "Because he is already too late," Myotismon chuckled. "Behold!"  
P The vampire Digimon raised his hands, calling forth his bats to form the circle of light  
once again. Wizardmon peered into it curiously. This time, he was able to discern a picture, blurry  
but still recognizable the young female Digidestined - what was her name? Kari? - and her  
treacherous Digimon friend, Gatomon. The sounds that came through the viewing circle were too  
distorted to be understood, but the pain in Gatomon's voice was clearly audible.  
p "You see?" asked Myotismon. "Already our feline friend is losing herself to fear and  
confusion. She has lost the will to fight. At the very least, she will be unable to help her  
Digidestined friends. At best, she will drag them down and cause them to make mistakes as well.  
We will use your Black Lens to beat them by superior strength alone, and not even the  
Seraphmon will be able to stop me!"  
p "An excellent plan, Lord Myotismon," Wizardmon replied. "I am honored to have been of  
service to you."  
P "Indeed, you've proven yourself most valuable," Myotismon agreed. "Come! I wish to  
discuss the properties of this Black Lens of yours without having to put up with any annoying  
interruptions." He shot a dark look at DemiDevimon. "iYou/i stay here and keep an eye on  
things. Come back when you learn to keep your mouth muted."  
p With that, Myotismon turned and swept grandly out of the room, with Wizardmon  
following at a respectful distance. DemiDevimon stuck his tongue out at the retreating wizard.  
P "Wizardmon, Schmizardmon," he muttered. "All the time, it's Wizardmon this and  
Wizardmon that and Wizardmon whatever. After all these years of loyal service, too! I'm a better  
servant to Lord Myotismon than that pointy-hatted wand-waver could ever be, and he still gets all  
the attention! It makes me sick. If only there was a way..."  
p He broke off in mid-tirade as his eye was caught by the flickering light of Myotismon's  
veiwing circle. It still hung in midair, patiently waiting for the vampire lord to order its dispersal.  
DemiDevimon stared at it for a long time, watching Gatomon stare out into space with that  
stricken look in her eyes, and in the dark corners of his devious little mind, a plan began to hatch.  
pcenter~*~/center  
P "Are you sure you're feeling okay, Gatomon?" Kari asked, for just about the tenth time  
that afternoon. However, the cat Digimon was still too dazed to take much notice.  
P "I'll be fine," she said. "I just need to think a while, that's all."  
p "Oh. I guess I can understand that," said Kari. She set a dish down next to her friend.  
"Here. I talked Mom into making us some fish for lunch, and I brought you some. You should eat  
it."  
p "Thanks," Gatomon replied. "That was nice of you."  
p There was an awkward silence. Gatomon stayed where she was, perched on the arm of a  
sofa and staring out the window at the glittering cityscape.  
p "Do you want me to leave?" asked Kari. "I really want to be able to help you, Gatomon  
but-"  
P "I know you want to help, Kari," said Gatomon, "and I really appreciate it, but... I need  
some time to myself, okay?"  
P "All right," Kari sighed. "Take care of yourself, Gatomon."  
p Kari padded silently out of the living room, leaving her friend alone... well, not  
icompletely/i alone. There was one other living thing in the room. Attracted by the scent of  
food, Kari's pet cat had slipped through the door and come to investigate. He pounced on the  
sofa with a scrabbling of claws that made the nervous Gatomon jump. Then she realized that it  
was just her non-digital cousin paying a visit, and she managed a small smile.  
P "Hi, Miko," she said. "Did you want some fish? It's pretty good - almost as good as  
digital fish."  
P "Mew," Miko agreed.  
P "Well, I guess real-world cats aren't very good conversationalists," said Gatomon, "but I  
guess that's okay. I just need someone to listen for a while, and I don't know if Kari  
understands."  
p That was sad, too, she reflected. Kari was her companion, the one who had been waiting  
for her since the day she had been programmed. She had always known instinctively that there  
was someone out there she belonged to and with, and she had believed that finally joining with the  
human who was destined to be the other half of her soul would be the end of her dark days of  
abuse and loneliness. And now... now everything was falling apart. She sighed and offered a  
chunk of fish to the cat, who accepted it with a grateful purr.  
P "You're one lucky cat, Miko," Gatomon said. "You don't have to worry about fighting  
evil or having bad things happen to your friends. For all you know, everything is perfect. I guess it  
is, if you're just a housepet. But I've got to look after Kari... and now I have to worry about  
Wizardmon, too. I can't hurt him - he's the best friend I ever had until I met the Digidestined. He  
was the first person to ever show me any kindness, and now he wants to hurt me. I don't  
understand it! What happened to him to make him go back to Myotismon? I thought he didn't  
even ilike/i Myotismon! Something really awful must have happened to him."  
P "Absolutely right. You were always too clever for your own good, Gatomon."  
P At the sound of the raspy voice, Miko glanced up from the fish he'd been eating, took one  
look at the speaker, and leaped to the top of the sofa with wide eyes and a bushed tail. Gatomon  
simply glared and flexed her sharp claws.  
P "DemiDevimon," she growled, "what are you doing here? You get away from my friend's  
house!"  
P Sure enough, the little bat-creature was perched on the windowsill, watching both cats  
with his slit-pupiled golden eyes.  
P "You're not happy to see me? I'm hurt," said DemiDevimon in mock-offense. "I just  
heard you'd had a hard day, and I thought you might need some support from an old friend."  
p "You were never my friend," Gatomon replied. "We were enemies even when we were on  
the same side."  
p "Humph. Well, let's say I've had a change of heart, then," answered the bat, undeterred.  
"Maybe I'm tired of being bashed around by you and your Digidestined friends, and I want to  
make amends."  
p "From what I remember, my friends never fought you that often. You always fought by  
trickery, because you knew you couldn't win a fair fight," said Gatomon. "I know you too well,  
DemiDevimon. You're nothing but a trickster. What could you possibly want to do for me?"  
P "I could tell you what's been done to Wizardmon," DemiDevimon answered. "I know,  
believe me. After all, who would know better? You know I'm always hanging around near where  
Myotismon is. I always know what he's planning."  
P "True," Gatomon replied, "but why would you want to tell me? What would you get out  
of helping me save Wizardmon?"  
P "Hey, I never said anything about helping to save him," said DemiDevimon, fluttering his  
wings in agitation. "I just said I'd tell you what's been done to him, that's all. It's up to you to  
decide what you want to do about it. And as for why I'd want to tell you, well... to tell the truth,  
I'm not that wild about your Wizardmon. He's getting to be a real pain in the patookas. Him and  
that Black Lens have made such a big hit with the boss that I'm not getting any respect at all  
anymore! It ain't fair. I spend my whole life slaving away for Myotismon, and as soon as someone  
else comes along who has a little bit of a lucky streak and gets in the boss's good graces - BAM!  
Exit DemiDevimon. It's like I don't even exist anymore, unless one of them wants to pick on me.  
I tell ya, iit ain't fair!/i" The little bat Digimon fluttered his wings again in such violent  
agitation that it looked like he was going to fall off the window ledge.  
P *iThat's more like the DemiDevimon I know,/i* thought Gatomon. *iHe admits  
he's not here to help me - he's here because he wants me to help him. He might just do that, if  
everything he says is true. I know how loyal he is to Myotismon, and he bwould/b be jealous  
if Myotismon started to favor someone else. He might, just bmight/b be telling the  
truth!/i*  
P "All right, DemiDevimon," she said. "Tell me what's been done to Wizardmon - and no  
tricks!"  
p "I wouldn't! This is too important for playing games," said DeviDevimon, offended. "It  
was like this - after that last battle, Myotismon was totally ticked with you guys, so he sent out a  
bunch of Bakemon scouts - they're good at hiding, you know - to hunt you down and try to keep  
an eye on you. One of them found your friend Wizardmon wandering around in an alley, all beat  
up and wandering around in a daze, not even sure where he was going. The Bakemon knew he  
used to work for Myotismon and didn't realize he had changed sides, so he brought him back to  
Myotismon's lair to get him doctored up. Well, Myotismon wasn't too happy about ithat/i at  
all - not until he found out that Wizardmon had lost his memories. Myotismon convinced  
Wizardmon that it was you who hurt him, pretending to be his friend and then attacking him when  
he didn't expect it and leaving him for dead. Now all he can think about is getting back at you for  
hurting him and making him forget who he is. And just to be sure he never gets his memories  
back, Myotismon set up a magical charm in the lowest basement of the complex. As long as the  
spell is working, Wizardmon will believe anything Myotismon tells him."  
P "Magic, of course!" Gatomon exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of that! That's why his eyes  
are the wrong color."  
P "Exactly!" said DemiDevimon. "On the other hand, if you could break the spell, you'll  
have your wizard back, and I'll have my job back, and we'll both be happy. Get it?"  
P Gatomon narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "If you know so much, why don't you break the  
spell? Why involve me at all, especially since you know I don't trust you?"  
P "Hey, I don't like having your buddy hanging around all the time, but I'm not going to put  
my life on the line to get rid of him!" DemiDevimon protested. "If Myotismon caught me  
anywhere inear/i his laboratory, he'd turn me into a feather pillow before you can say  
'scratching post'! You, on the other hand, are already a traitor. You can't get in any more trouble  
than you're already in, and you ilike/i Wizardmon. I'm perfectly happy to let you take all the  
risks... I will, however, tell the Gazimon guards that I went out spying on you Digidestined folks  
and heard that you plan to attack the east side of the complex. Get it?"  
p "So I can sneak into the west side? I get it," Gatomon agreed. "You know,  
DemiDevimon, for once I'm glad you're such a scheming little sneak."  
p "Think nothing of it," said DemiDevimon. "iAnything/i to get that pesky  
prestidigitator out of my feathers! Can I expect you to show up at the west side at sunset?"  
P "You've got it!" Gatomon agreed. "Shake?"  
p She offered her gloved paw, and DemiDevimon took it in his birdlike talons to shake it. he  
grinned at her, showing off his pointy teeth.  
P "Pleasure doing business with you, Gatomon!" he said. "Now I'd better get out of here  
before Myotismon starts wondering where I've gone... unless he's too busy talking to Wizardmon  
to care," he added bitterly. "See ya!"  
P "So long!" Gatomon replied, for once feeling almost friendly to the little bat creature. He  
did, apparently, have a few uses after all. Smiling and purring to herself, she sat down on the sofa  
again to finish her fish.  
pcenter~*~/center  
P "Izzy, dinner time!" called a distant voice. Tentomon's antennae twitched with interest,  
and he turned his bulbous eyes toward his companion. Izzy, as usual, seemed to have his hands  
irreversibly fixed to his keyboard, his whole world taken up by the shimmering screen of his  
laptop.  
P "Izzy, did you hear that?" asked Tentomon. "It's time to eat! How about taking a break  
from that computer business and going to get a bite to eat, huh? I'm so hungry I could eat a  
whole kilobyte!"  
p "Hmm? Did you say something?" Izzy's eyes barely shifted toward Tentomon before  
turning his attention back to what he was doing.   
P Tentomon sighed, shaking his head sadly as he watched his chances of being fed anytime  
soon rapidly diminishing. Unfolding his wings, he took off and hovered next to Izzy's ear, trying  
to catch a glimpse of what had his friend's attention ithis/i time.  
P "Dare I ask what you're up to now?" he asked.  
P "Just research, as usual," Izzy replied. "I'm brushing up on what we know about  
Myotismon, trying to find something we might be able to use against him. So far, I haven't been  
able to come up with anything, but it can't hurt to keep looking."  
P "It can if you starve to death," Tentomon muttered. "And I can't digivolve if you don't  
feed me every once in a while."  
P "I guess that's true enough," Izzy allowed. "Now that you mention it, I could go for a  
nutritional supplement myself. Maybe we should go ask mom if dinner's ready."  
p Tentomon sighed again. "Izzy, as much as I like you, I have to say that sometimes you can  
be totally oblivious."  
P "Oblivious to what?" asked Izzy. "I didn't notice anything."  
p "Never mind!"  
p "Oh," Izzy replied. "Well, just let me finish this one little thing, and we'll go get something  
to eat. I'll just close out this program, and... hey what's this? I never noticed this little icon  
before!"  
P "Won't it be there after dinner?" asked Tentomon.  
p "Well, I guess so... but it won't take but a minute to look," Izzy replied. "I'll tell you what  
- if you're so hungry, go downstairs and beg mom for something. I'll be down as soon as I check  
this out."  
p "Oh, all right," said Tentomon. "I hope your mom doesn't faint or something. I still don't  
think anyone's parents are very used to having Digimon around the house."  
p "She'll get used to it," said Izzy. "Go on. This won't take long. I'll be done before you  
know it."  
p Reluctantly, Tentomon nodded and buzzed out of the room. Izzy turned back to his  
computer.  
p "Where was I?" he muttered. "Oh, yeah, here we go. I wonder why I never saw this  
before."  
p Burning with the curiosity that was his trademark, he moved the pointer around to click  
on a star-shaped icon labeled iMyths and Legends/i in the corner of the screen. The profile  
of Myotismon he'd been looking at vanished and was replaced by a plainer screen full of text in a  
peculiar font. Izzy had to stare a moment before he could finally make out what it said.  
p "Greetings, Izzy!" said the writing cheerfully. "I knew you'd find this sooner or later, even  
without me telling you about it. I just uploaded this information last night. Hopefully you'll be  
able to put it to good use."  
P "Gennai," Izzy sighed. "You could have at least told me you did this! What if Myotismon  
stole my computer again, huh? Then what would I have done?"  
p "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this sooner," the text went on, "but communication has  
been difficult for me lately. I suppose you've met the Seraphmon by now. He is a very powerful  
adversary when he is angered, but if Myotismon ever found him, he'd stop at nothing to destroy  
him. Because of that, he cannot stay in your world for very long, so he has to constantly cross  
back and forth between worlds. It is using up a lot of our power and putting a strain on the lines  
of power. As a result, this may be the last message I can send you until your battle is over, so you  
must pay attention!  
p "I'm sure your Digimon have told you the legends about Seraphmon - how they appear  
when great injustice has been done and how they exist to preserve truth and fight deception. Your  
Digimon probably do not know, however, that there is another legend concerning the Seraphmon.  
I have found a copy of an old text from one of the ancient DigiTemples, such as the one  
Centarumon guards. It reads, iAt the time when the worlds cross, the Lord of the Undead will  
bring forth a shadow to fall upon the Light. A beam of darkness will turn power upon itself,  
revealing the true form of the Beast. Then the Seraphmon will be born again, and the power from  
his sword will prevail against evil./i Part of this prophecy has already come true! Myotismon  
has known of this prediction for eons, and he will do all in his power to stop it from coming true.  
He fears the coming of the Seraphmon more than anything. Once he knows he has arrived, he will  
do anything to destroy him. Be very careful, Izzy! As soon as the Seraphmon comes into play,  
you can expect anything to happen!"  
P That was all there was. Izzy read the cryptic prediction a few times, pondering its  
meaning. The world-crossing bit was fairly obvious, but what did the rest of it mean? Perhaps the  
beam of darkness referred to the Black Lens. A shadow to fall upon the Light... why was light  
capitalized and not shadow? Izzy scratched his head for a while as he pondered that for a while,  
unable to resist his fascination with puzzled. Finally, he remembered the Crests, and Kari's in  
particular. Her Crest was the Crest of Light, and her full name, Hikari, actually meant "light." So  
perhaps that part of the verse referred to her brush with Myotismon as he sought to find and  
destroy her before she could join the Digidestined. On the other hand, Gatomon also shared the  
Crest's power, and Myotismon seemed a lot more interested in her than he did in Kari.  
p "Maybe I'd better check up on all three of them," Izzy decided.  
p He closed out the information page and pulled up his tracking grid. He could clearly see  
all the different colored lights as they moved around on the grid. The red dot there was  
Tentomon, downstairs enjoying dinner, no doubt. He could see the symbol he'd put in for himself,  
an image of the Crest of Knowledge nearby. All too evident were a number of skull-and-  
crossbones shapes that designated Myotismon's monsters, but they were hanging close to the  
park. Even Myotismon's bat-shape was fairly still - even though he was doubtlessly plotting  
mischief, he at least wasn't getting into it at the moment. The other Crest-pictures were also  
staying near their own homes, and their colored-dot Digimon were all within a few feet of them...  
all except the white dot that symbolized Gatomon. It was scurrying across the screen, moving  
steadily away from Kari and Tai's apartment and closer to the park... and Myotismon.  
p "Where does she think she's going?" asked Izzy. "She can't be trying to get to  
Wizardmon... or can she? She's awfully emotional where he's concerned. I'd better call Kari and  
ask her."   
p He tapped a few buttons on the computer to open a communications channel and ran into  
a wall of static. Gennai was right - the lines of power really were starting to get frayed.  
Fortunately, he wasn't asking his Digivice to do anything itoo/i terribly difficult, and he was  
finally able to reroute the signal enough that he could get through.  
P "Kari, come in! Kari, do you read me?" he called.  
p "Sure, Izzy," chirped Kari's cheerful voice. "What's up?"  
P "Where's Gatomon?"  
p There was an ominous pause, and then, "I don't know. Gee, she was here just a minute  
ago. I wonder where she went?"  
p "I was afraid you'd say that," Izzy sighed. "I thought maybe you'd sent her to scout or  
something, but if she's run off without telling anyone... Kari, Gatomon's on her way to  
Myotismon's hideout. I'm afraid she's going to try to look for Wizardmon!"  
p "But that's crazy! Myotismon will eat her!" Kari exclaimed.  
p "I know. That's why we've got to get ourselves down there inow/I," said Izzy.  
"We'll stop her if we can. If we can't, we'd better be there to bail her out. You get Tai, and I'll  
round up the others."  
P "Right," Kari agreed. "Meet you at the park!"  
p Izzy sighed and let the communication channel shut with a click. Tentomon, he decided,  
was not going to like this one bit. Well, he might as well let his companion enjoy himself a few  
minutes longer - he'd need the energy for the fight that was sure to come next. Realigning the  
lines of contact, he opened the communications port again.  
p "Calling all Digidestined," he said. "Gang, we've got an emergency on our hands... again."  
Pcenter~*~/center  
P Gatomon all but flew as she hurried down the streets to the park. She almost felt like she  
really iwas/i flying, borne up by the same drive to destroy the evil Myotismon and protect  
the ones she cared for as she had when she had transformed into Angewomon.   
P *II'm going to get him back,/i* she told herself. *iThis time, I'm not going to lose  
him. Nothing can stop me, not when Myotismon's own henchmon are working against him!/i*  
P Evening was falling in shades of blue, dusted with a few pale stars, and Myotismon's fog  
hovered thinly over the park. It's whiteness was good camouflage for a pale-furred cat, and she  
glided through the cloudy landscape as if she were part of the fog herself. As she neared the door  
to Myotismon's lair, she scurried up a tree and out on a limb, taking advantage of the mist's  
obscuring properties and the shadows of the leaves to let her look down on the beast that was  
guarding the secret hatch. At first, she couldn't see a thing, and she wondered why Myotismon  
would leave his lair unguarded. Then her sharp eyes spotted a movement in the fog, and she was  
gradually able to make out the caterpillar-like shape of a yellow bug called a Kunemon. Gatomon  
blinked in surprise. It seemed DemiDevimon had come through for her after all! Myotismon  
would never leave such a slow, weak creature as Kunemon standing guard if he didn't think he  
needed his other warriors elsewhere, which must mean that all the important monsters were busy  
guarding the east wing of the complex. The most impressive attack Kunemon could pull off was  
Electro Thread, which wouldn't do much more than stun an opponent until help could arrive.  
Gatomon whispered thanks to her helper and leapt from the tree.  
P The Kunemon's antennae pricked up at the sound of rustling leaves, and it turned its slit  
eyes toward the sound, staring vainly for its source. By the time it realized that a clawed animal  
was about to fall on it, it was too late to do anything about it. The Kunemon program terminated  
in a burst of random bits of data. Gatomon polished her claws on her fur before proceeding  
towards the entrance. Within moments, she was back inside the underground complex.  
p Cautiously, the cat padded through the shadows, keeping her eyes and ears peeled for  
trouble. It wasn't long before she found it, as a fluttering noise alerted her, and she twitched her  
ears and whiskers as she identified the sound. In the next instant, there was a iwhoosh,/i and  
something landed in front of her. It was too dark in the cavern for even her cat's eyes to see, but  
she knew the sound and scent of this creature well enough to recognize him even without seeing  
him.  
p "DemiDevimon?" she said uncertainly.  
P "Yup, it's me," chortled the little bat. "Nice to see you again, Gatomon."  
p "What are you doing here?" Gatomon asked.  
P "Guarding the door, to make sure you don't get in, heh heh heh," DemiDevimon  
chuckled. "After that last battle with you Digidestined people, the boss doesn't trust me as a  
fighter anymore, so they left me here to help Kunemon guard the door... what'd you do to him,  
anyway?"  
p "Sliced and diced him. What else?"  
P There was a rustling noise as DemiDevimon shrugged his wings. "Oh, well, no big loss.  
We can always get another Kunemon. No Digimon you can't get another one of somewhere, if  
you want to take the time to raise it. Anyway, I'm supposed to be hanging out here and raising  
the roof if I see any of you folks, so they'll expect to know if you're coming. Even if you run into  
any trouble, they'll be totally unprepared for you. Just another neat little twist to the plan."  
p "You've thought of everything, haven't you?" said Gatomon. "Thanks, DemiDevimon. I  
owe you another one."  
p "If you want to thank me, get moving before someone comes to check on me or  
something!" DemiDevimon replied. "If the boss catches us standing here talking, it's curtains for  
both of us!"  
p "I guess you're right," said Gatomon. "Better get moving, then. Thanks for all your help!"  
p Gatomon bounded straight up into the air, over DemiDevimon's head, and landed on the  
floor ten feet away, where she quickly took to all fours and darted out of sight. DemiDevimon  
listened to her scrabbling paws as they scurried away. As soon as he was sure she had a  
reasonable head start, he fluttered his wings and took off after her.  
p Meanwhile, the Digidestined and their digital companions were picking their way through  
the park, keeping their senses peeled for trouble. Izzy carried his computer, monitoring the  
movements of the monsters in the area, while the Digimon put their sharp noses to work for the  
same purpose.  
p "Do you see her anywhere?" asked Kari, peering at the computer screen worriedly.  
p "She's nearby," Izzy assured her. "It's just a little hard to tell exactly where. This program  
is only set up to show me two-dimensional readouts. It won't show if she's inside Myotismon's  
lair or not."  
p "I smell her nearby," Gabumon offered. "She's not far ahead of us now."  
p "Do you smell any nasty guard monsters?" asked Mimi nervously.   
p "It's hard to tell," said Gabumon. "There have been so many monsters in this place, it's  
going to reek of them for a month after they're gone."  
p "There's the entrance up ahead!" said Tai excitedly. "No Gatomon, though. No monsters  
either. Looks like there used to be one, though." He pointed at a small scorched spot in the earth  
left by the disintegrating Kunemon.  
p "She must have fought a guard to get inside," sighed Matt. "Great. I really didn't want to  
spend any time wandering around Myotismon's lair."  
p "Neither did I," said Izzy. "Without Gatomon to guide us, we're going to get totally lost!"  
P "Hey, it's iyour/i job to help us find our way around," said Tai. "Put that computer  
of yours to good use!"  
p "I may be brilliant, but I'm not a miracle worker!" Izzy protested. "The best I can do is  
give us a point in the general direction."  
p "If that's the best we can do, that's the best we can do," said Sora philosophically. "Right  
now, we don't have any other choice but to go in and try to save Gatomon, and the longer we  
hang around and argue, the harder it's going to be to find her."  
P "Sora's right," Tai agreed. "We're going in there to find Gatomon, and we're not coming  
out until we do!"  
p "Why do I not find that idea encouraging?" Joe muttered.  
p "Relax, Joe," said Gomamon calmly. "Izzy and Tentomon have been in there before, and  
they came out all right. With all of us working together, there's no way we can lose!"  
p "I hate to have to correct you, Gomamon," said Izzy, "but I think you might be wrong  
about that."  
P "What do you mean?" asked Gomamon.  
P "Well, I'm hoping this isn't what it looks like it is, but, well... see for yourself."  
P Izzy waved a hand at the screen of his computer, and everyone gathered around to look.  
Gatomon's moving white dot could clearly be seen against the black screen. So could a ring of  
monsters, sitting perfectly still and waiting... and Gatomon was running straight into the center of  
them.  
pcenter~*~/center  
P Gatomon felt her confidence surge as she neared the great bronze door that marked the  
entrance to Myotismon's private laboratory. The last leg of her journey was at hand! Now all she  
had to do was get the door open so she could disrupt whatever spell Myotismon had cast. Then  
she could go find Wizardmon and get him far away from this awful place - hopefully far enough  
that Myotismon would never find him again.   
p The door was locked, but that was no problem for a clever cat like her. The lock was  
nothing special, just a simple, antiquated device that was meant to keep foolish monsters out of  
the vampire lord's work. It was nothing for Gatomon to slip one of her claws into the keyhole and  
press the latch, and then the door swung smoothly open. A wan shaft of light from the flickering  
torches fell onto the workroom's floor, but otherwise, there was no illumination. Gatomon's eyes  
widened as she padded inside. It was one thing for Myotismon, as comfortable in shadows as fish  
were in the oceans, to work in pitch blackness, but even cats needed a little bit of light to see by.  
Here, though, the blackness was so complete that all she could see was opaque darkness. Then, as  
her vision began to adjust, she was able to make out something else, a faint reddish glow. The  
spell?  
p Suddenly, there was a hoarse shout, and the lights in the room came on at full brilliance,  
momentarily blinding the hapless cat. At the same time, something heavy and clawed leapt at her,  
pinning her to the floor, and she could hear it growling deep in its chest. As her sight returned to  
her, she was able to make out the long, muscular limbs, the black skin, and the six red glowing  
eyes of a Devidramon. Beyond that, she saw a familiar fluttering shape, fanged mouth wide in an  
insane laugh.  
p "Sucker!" DemiDevimon jeered. "Man, you are iso/i gullible! I can't believe you fell  
for this!"  
p "DemiDevimon!" Gatomon snarled in fury. "You tricked me! I can't believe you would be  
so wicked!"  
p "As the snake said, you knew what I was when you picked me up," DemiDevimon replied.  
"You should have known better to trust me, and now it's too late! The boss is going to be so  
proud when he sees what I've done, he'll forget all about that dumb Wizardmon. Maybe if you  
ask him real nice, he'll destroy you both at the same time!"  
p "You won't get away with this, DemiDevimon!" Gatomon cried, struggling to free herself  
from the Devidramon's claws. She kept her eyes tightly closed - if she opened them, she would be  
prey the Devidramon's hypnotic powers, and then she'd be in as bad a mess as poor Wizardmon.  
p "And who's going to stop me, hmm?" DemiDevimon chuckled. "Not you! Not your  
Digidestined friends, either. Seeing as how I knew exactly when you were coming and where you  
were going, I made sure there would be all kinds of nasty critters waiting for them. By the time  
they're done, there won't be enough of them left to fill a soda can!"  
P "You little monster!" Gatomon cried. "I'll get you for this if it's the last thing I ever-"  
p "What is going on here?" interrupted a commanding voice. Reflexively, DemiDevimon,  
Devidramon, and Gatomon all turned to watch as the magnificently cloaked figure of Myotismon  
swept into the room.  
p "Hey, boss, look what I caught!" DemiDevimon called exultantly. "It's that traitor,  
Gatomon! Pretty cool, huh?"  
p Remarkably, Myotismon showed no sign of approval - if anything, he looked worried.  
p "What is she doing down here?" he demanded. "Why would Gatomon come here alone?"  
p "That's the best part!" DemiDevimon laughed. "I fooled her into coming here! I told her  
there was a spell down here that was keeping Wizardmon under control, and I'd draw the guards  
off so she could break it! She actually thought she could trust me! Isn't that a riot?"  
P "You itricked/i her?" Myotismon repeated. "You told her those lies?"  
p "Well... sure! Why not?" asked DeviDevimon.  
p "You shouldn't have done that," said Myotismon. He bowed his head a moment, frowning  
thoughtfully. Then he turned and shot a decisive glance at DemiDevimon. "Let her go!"  
P "What!?" the little bat repeated, shocked. "But - but boss..."  
p "No buts! Do as I command!" Myotismon ordered. "Haven't you been paying attention to  
ianything/i that's been going on today? There's a Seraphmon on the loose - the one being  
with the power to destroy me, and it appears only when deception has been wrought! You and  
your foolish games may have already brought my doom down on me, and it iwill/i come if  
we don't set her free! Now, ilet her go!/i"  
p The fury in his voice was so strong that the fearless Devidramon cringed, raising its paw  
so that Gatomon could escape. When she only lay there, too stunned to move, Myotismon  
actually walked across the room to pick her up and toss her toward the door.  
p "What are you waiting for? Get out of here, you treacherous feline!" he snarled. "Blasted  
Seraphmon! If it weren't for him, you'd be dying a slow death right now, so don't think you're  
going to get off this easy next time!"  
p Gatomon needed no second bidding. She shot out of the room as fast as her paws could  
carry her. DemiDevimon watched her with a look of blank confusion.  
p "What was that all about?" he asked. "I thought you wanted to kill her!"  
p "Idiot!" Myotismon growled. "Of all the unmitigated idiocy I have ever chanced to find...  
Argh! I dare you to find anything - anything at all - that will convince me that I shouldn't torture  
you to death here and now."  
p "Um... if tricks and lies and stuff are what get this Seraphmon you're talking about riled  
up, then laying a trap for the Digidestined wouldn't be a very good idea, would it?" asked  
DemiDevimon nervously.  
p "It would be an iextremely/I bad idea," said Myotismon dangerously. "You  
ididn't/I take it upon yourself to do such a thing, did you?"  
p "Well, now that you mention it..."  
p "Moron! Imbecile! I should roast you like the turkey you are!" shouted Myotismon,  
throwing up his hands in frustration. "Lucky for you, someone is going to have to go call off the  
guards before they cause any more trouble. You're not worth the time and effort it would take to  
destroy you. Still, if I were you, I would go far, far away from here, because if I ever see your  
face again..." He let the threat hang in the air, and DemiDevmimon cringed. Still fuming,  
Myotismon. After taking a moment to collect his wits (something that didn't take very long, since  
he had so few), DemiDevimon left the room as well.  
pcenter~*~/center  
p "I don't like this, I don't like this, I don't like iany/i of this..."  
p "Aw, quit your moaning, Joe," Tai complained. "You're gonna wake the monsters up!"  
p "Actually, I don't like it either," said Izzy. "We've gone a long way, and we haven't run  
into so much as a single Bakemon. None of the monsters on my computer screen has moved an  
inch since we got here. It's like they're waiting for something."  
p "Perhaps that something would be me?" said a voice.   
p The Digidestined and their Digimon spun around and saw Wizardmon standing behind  
them, leaning casually on his staff and watching them with his weird magenta eyes. Izzy looked  
from Wizardmon to his computer, then back to Wizardmon again, his eyes wide in disbelief.  
p "But - but - but-" he stammered. "But that's impossible! You're standing right there, but  
the computer says you're over here! What gives?"  
p "Foolish Digidestined," Wizardmon answered. "I was the one who was using your  
computer. I saw your little tracking program and figured out how to counteract it... at least  
enough to keep you from finding me when I don't want to be found. I disapprove of spying."  
p "You're a traitor!" Kari shouted. "How can you fight against us and Gatomon! She loves  
you!"  
p Wizardmon threw back his head and laughed. "You're as foolish as your cat friend is. I tell  
you the truth - I'm not a traitor. I've never been loyal to anyone but Myotismon, and if Gatomon  
has any misguided notions about me, that's her problem."  
p "I don't get it!" Joe cried. "I knew you! Zudomon and I pulled you out of the harbor! You  
saved Lillymon when Myotismon put that spell on her! You fought on our side! How can you be  
against us now?"  
p "The explanation is so simple," Wizardmon replied. "I'm surprised none of you have  
caught on by now."  
p "Very simple," an unexpected voice agreed. "And it's about time the truth came out!"  
p There was a communal gasp as a rectangular patch of the wall suddenly began to glow. It  
opened up into a door, and out of the door stepped...   
p ...another Wizardmon, one whose eyes blazed a furious shade of green.  
  
To Be Continued 


	4. Angel's Power

Disclaimer and Author's Notes: I still don't own Digimon - isn't that a shame? Then I wouldn't  
have to pay for action figures anymore. Oh, well. You know, I saw the Digimon movie between  
now and the posting of the last installment, and thereby discovered that Patamon's Mega form is  
Seraphimon. I really didn't know that when I invented Seraphmon, so sorry for any confusion!  
  
Angel's Power  
By: SilvorMoon  
  
"You!" snarled the red-eyed Wizardmon. "You have a lot of nerve coming back  
here!"  
  
The newcomer regarded the angry Digimon with a cold stare, looking not at all bothered  
by the other Wizardmon's rage. As a matter of fact, he was the calmest-looking one there, at the  
moment. The Digidestined and their companions stood frozen in shock, still trying to process  
what they were seeing. There were two Wizardmons?  
  
"Yes, it's me," said the newcomer casually, but there was still a hint of ice beneath the  
light tone. "The one and only, in fact. If we're to be talking about nerve, I think I should have  
something to say about you impersonating me."  
  
"Someone had to take your place," the red-eyed Digimon snarled. "Blast you, you're  
supposed to be dead! What are you doing here?"  
  
"There are some people who think that when a good person dies, they become an angel,"  
the other Wizardmon replied. "Perhaps that's what I've done."  
  
"Don't play games with me!" the first one growled. "You might have been able to slip  
past Lord Myotismon, but you won't get away from me!"  
  
"I think I might have something to say about that," the green-eyed Wizardmon replied. "I  
don't care for fighting, but in this case, I'll be happy to make an exception."  
  
The other Wizardmon didn't look as if he was in the mood to make clever retorts. He shot  
a ball of crackling sparks from the tip of his wand, but his opponent was too quick for him. In the  
next instant, he found himself dodging a rain of lightning that put his own thunder ball to shame,  
and the battle was on. The Digidestined continued to stare.  
  
"Do you think we should try to help?" asked Tai uncertainly.  
  
"How are we supposed to help?" Joe replied. "I can't even tell which one is which! What  
if we shoot the wrong one by accident? What if they're both working for Myotismon? If  
he can get one fake, he can get two."  
  
"All right, all right!" Tai protested. "Don't have a cow! I was just making a suggestion!  
But we've got to do something to break them up before they have Myotismon and all his goons  
coming to see what's making all the racket!"  
  
Little did they realize that the best of all possible distractions was making her way swiftly  
toward the scene of the battle. Gatomon was still shaken after her encounter with Myotismon.  
That had been far, far too close - if it hadn't been for the dark lord's fear of the Seraphmon, all  
hope would have been lost for her. Part of her wanted to be elated over her good fortune, but that  
part was drowned out by crushing despair. After all that, she still hadn't been able to find  
Wizardmon! It had all been a trick, after all. Maybe there would be no getting him back, after all.  
If Myotismon had her friend under his complete control, she would be forced to fight against  
him, no matter how she felt about it personally. She had a duty to protect the world, but to hurt  
the first person who had ever been kind to her... she wasn't sure if she had the heart to do it.  
  
Lucky for her, it was a choice she never had to make. As she made her way swiftly down  
Myotismon's dark hallways, her sharp ears picked up the sound of a crash. Something yelped,  
and someone else shrieked. The voices were muffled and distorted by the echoing hallways, but there  
was no way Gatomon could have misheard the sound of Mimi crying out in alarm. The white cat  
picked up her pace, charging as fast as she could toward the disturbance.  
  
She got there almost a little too quickly. Rounding a corner, she had but a shattered  
second to see something detonating in front of her in a burst of searing heat and light, and she scrambled  
to stop herself before she could be caught in the explosion. Her claws scrabbled on the slick  
stone, but it didn't look like she'd be able to stop herself in time...  
  
Just then, something grabbed her by the tail and lifted her up into the air, raising her out of  
harm's way. She looked down in blank incomprehension as the floor dropped away beneath her  
and was briefly lost in a burst of light. It was only when the smoke cleared that she was able to  
take in her surroundings and see what was going on. The red-eyed Wizardmon stood a few feet  
away, glaring furiously, but he was not looking at her. He was looking at whoever had rescued  
her. She looked up.  
  
"Hello again, Gatomon," said Wizardmon. "I know cats don't like being picked up by  
their tails, but I thought you might forgive me in this case."  
  
"Wizardmon? But - but how?" she asked, glancing from one to the other in bafflement.  
  
Wizardmon gently lowered Gatomon to the floor and landed lightly next to her. "As our  
esteemed friend DemiDevimon said earlier, you can get another of any kind of Digimon you  
want, if you don't mind raising it. That Wizardmon is nothing but an impostor trained by  
Myotismon and his followers."  
  
"Took you long enough to figure it out," the false Wizardmon snarled. "But it doesn't  
matter; I still have enough power to take care of you both!"  
  
"We'll see about that," Wizardmon replied. "Well, Gatomon, how would you like to help  
me get rid of this impostor?"  
  
"Nothing would make me happier," Gatomon replied.   
  
The impostor looked at his adversaries and saw two pairs of angry eyes, one green, one  
blue, staring back at his own red ones, and wondered briefly if he had gotten in over his head. In  
the next instant, Gatomon launched herself at the false Wizardmon, and he had only an instant to  
watch as a set of silver claws closed in. Then there was a flash of searing pain as his bloody gaze  
was closed forever by eight clawmarks across his face. He wailed in pain and frustration, but the  
sound was cut off as he was enveloped in white sparks, courtesy of the true Wizardmon, and the  
impostor vanished in swirling bits of data. There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at  
the scorched spot on the floor where the impostor had been standing. Gatomon was breathing  
hard, looking a bit shaken, and Wizardmon went to put a hand on her shoulders.  
  
"Are you all right, Gatomon?" he asked.  
  
In response, she turned and flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly.  
  
"I knew you'd make it back somehow," she said softly. "I just knew it."  
  
"What a touching reunion," a voice remarked. "Someone should be filming this."  
  
"Myotismon!" gasped several voices in unison.  
  
"Indeed." The vampire lord looked down at where Wizardmon was still holding Gatomon  
protectively and sneered. "I see you've found your way back from the dead, Wizardmon. How  
irritating. But I thank you for destroying your counterpart - he was getting to be more trouble  
than he's worth. There can be only one authority here, and that's me!"  
  
"I won't challenge you there," Wizardmon replied. "I'd just as soon go somewhere else.  
Follow me, everyone."  
  
With that, Wizardmon rapped on the wall with the tip of his staff, and a door suddenly  
appeared in a blink of green light and opened at his touch. He dashed through it, followed closely  
by Gatomon and the rest of the Digidestined. Myotismon tried to pursue them, only to be  
subjected to the indignity of having the door slammed in his face. A second later, it blinked out  
of existence, leaving nothing but cold, blank rock. Myotismon snarled.  
  
"The creature is too smart for his own good," he muttered. "But he did remove the other  
Wizardmon, and that's something. He was entirely too independent for my liking, and now the  
Seraphmon won't have him to target anymore. Perhaps that will be enough to keep him from  
bothering me. Yes, this could work out to my advantage. Even if the Wizardmon double couldn't  
fulfil his original purpose, he did leave me with an unexpected bonus."  
  
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a dark, shiny object, and he stared speculatively  
into the depths of the Black Lens.  
  
*******************************  
  
The Digidestined found themselves in a long hallway, much cleaner and better lit than  
anything to be found in Myotismon's hideaway. Still amazed by the recent battle and the near  
escape, everyone collapsed along the sides of the corridor to lean against the walls and catch their  
breath.  
  
"We can rest safely here," Wizardmon assured them. "We can also talk in private, if you  
feel up to listening to explanations."  
  
"I remember this place," said Izzy. "This is where we ended up when I went looking for  
my laptop. Were you the one who brought us here? And where is here, anyway?"  
  
"And how come you're alive?" asked Gatomon. "I thought you were dead! I mean, we all  
saw you die..."  
  
"One question at a time!" Wizardmon exclaimed. "Maybe it would be better if I just  
explained, and you can go back and ask questions later. I'll begin at the beginning. After the  
battle with Myotismon, I was indeed deleted, but my program was rescued by your friend  
Gennai. He said he'd seen the potential in me to master some of the old powers, and so he began  
teaching me certain things - like how to access this subspace."  
  
"Subspace?" Izzy repeated, looking interested.  
  
"A sort of a borderline place at the edges of the Digital World - not very stable, but useful  
for a quick escape," Wizardmon replied. "You might think of it as a temporary file."  
  
"Ahh!" said Izzy as understanding dawned. "The random access memory of the  
DigiWord. Prodigious!"  
  
Wizardmon nodded. "Gennai knew you all would be needing some help, especially when  
he found that I wasn't the only one to survive that last battle, so he sent me here to assist you  
secretly in the fight against Myotismon. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you I was still alive," he said to  
Gatomon, "but it would only make things that much more dangerous in the long run if  
Myotismon knew I was here."  
  
"Wait just a minute!" Joe exclaimed. "If you're the one that's been helping us, does that  
mean you're also..."  
  
"The Seraphmon?" Wizardmon finished. "Of course. Who else? Seraphmon exist to  
protect from injustice - who better to protect my friend from Myotismon's impostor?"  
  
"I wouldn't want it to be anyone else," Gatomon said.  
  
"Unfortunately, that also means that Wizardmon's going to be in a lot of danger now that  
Myotismon knows he's here," said Izzy. "Gennai showed me a prophecy that says that only the  
power of the Seraphmon can defeat Myotismon. He's bound to know the prophecy himself; if  
he's smart enough to figure out that Wizardmon and Seraphmon are one and the same..." He  
trailed off, letting his companions fill in the blanks.  
  
"We'll just have to protect him, then," said Sora.  
  
"On the contrary," Wizardmon replied. "I'm the one who's supposed to be protecting you.  
It stands to reason that if the Seraphmon is the one destined to defeat Myotismon, then I should  
be safe from him."  
  
"Myotismon's not going to like that," said Tai. "He'll do something - something  
underhanded. He's not going to let you get him in a fair fight."  
  
"Of course not," Wizardmon replied. "Seraphmons are odd creatures - they can only exist  
where injustice has been done. If he wants to fight unfairly, it will only work to my advantage."  
  
"If you say so," said Joe dubiously, "but somehow, I still don't think it's going to be  
easy."  
  
"It never is," Mimi sighed.  
  
*******************************  
  
Myotismon was acting a bit unusually. His servants, what was left of them, hovered  
around the door to his lair and whispered among themselves. Finally, one of their number, a  
grizzled Gazimon with a scar on his nose, was appointed spokesmon, and he was shoved into the  
room. He gathered up his courage and tiptoed forwards.  
  
For a moment, Myotismon didn't appear to notice. He was reclining in a thronelike chair,  
staring up at the ceiling as if lost in deep thought. No, it was more than that - he looked as if he  
were in some kind of waking dream, as his lips moved in a silent conversation only he could hear,  
his face alternately tensing with some unknowable anger or fear, then splitting into a demonic  
grin. The Gazimon paused uncertainly. Something looked wrong here. Had his master's last  
encounter with the Digidestined knocked a screw loose somewhere?  
  
"Master?" he asked hesitantly. "Are you okay?"  
  
"OUT!" Myotismon bellowed. "Out of my sight! I want all of you out!"  
  
The Gazimon leaped backwards in surprise, tripped, and fell to the floor, where he  
continued to try to back away. The other Digimon around the doorway melted into the shadows  
yammering nervously. Myotismon rose from his chair and advanced on them.  
  
"You pathetic creatures," he said. "You've all done nothing but ruin things since we got  
here! You are useless to me."  
  
"Please, Master," begged the Gazimon. "We were just worried about you. You're not  
yourself today, and-"  
  
"Silence!" Myotismon barked. He turned away, his eyes going distant again. "It is not  
right that the Lord of the Undead should die, but death has looked me in the eye today. The  
Seraphmon... he knows what I did to Gatomon. He knows everything. That Wizardmon, he's the  
one. He is the one who intends to destroy me, but I will not let it happen!"  
  
"Of course you won't," said the Gazimon, trying to be agreeable.  
  
"Silence! You're a nuisance. I should have gotten rid of all of you a long  
time ago," said Myotismon. "As a matter of fact, that's an excellent idea! All of you all will  
leave... now!"  
  
He made a swift movement, and all the assembled Digimon vanished in swirls of data.  
  
"That is as it should be," said the vampire lord to himself. "It is better that I should meet  
my fate alone... If you want something done right, they say, you have to do it yourself. Very well!  
I will fight alone. I intend to rule this world, Seraphmon or no Seraphmon. If I need  
servants, humankind will do nicely. But first there are some annoyances to deal with..."  
  
Fired with determination now, he strode over to his desk and withdrew a sheet of fine  
paper and a pen and scribed a short letter with blood red ink. When it had been written, he tied it  
off with a red ribbon and stamped it with a wax seal, pressing a signet marked with a bat into the  
soft sealant. A flourish produced a real bat, who took the letter and fluttered away. Myotismon  
smiled. So far, so good.  
  
Meanwhile, the Digidestined had gathered again at Matt's father's house. The man of the  
house was in, and he greeted them all with aplomb that couldn't be shaken just by having eight or  
nine Digimon drop in uninvited. After all, he'd been there when Myotismon had taken over his  
television studio - there wasn't much left in the world that could rattle his nerves.  
  
"Hey, kids," he said. "More top-secret meetings?"  
  
"Just collecting ourselves again. It's been a long night," Matt replied. "Hey, Dad, you  
remember Wizardmon, right? We've found him again."  
  
"Hello there. Nice to see you again," said Mr. Ishida, bending to shake hands with the  
wizard Digimon. Wizardmon returned the handshake gravely.  
  
"You wouldn't happen to have anything to eat, would you?" asked Tai. "I don't want to  
be a bother or anything, but our Digimon are kinda whipped right now, and they need something  
to get their strength back."  
  
"Will leftover pizza do?" asked Mr. Ishida. "I've got some in the fridge if anyone wants  
it..."  
  
"Yeah, pizza!" TK cheered. "You're the best, Dad!"  
  
Mr. Ishida smiled fondly at his son. "All right, I'll see about getting food for everyone.  
You kids go back to your plotting. Don't blow up the house without telling me about it first,  
okay?"  
  
"Don't worry, Dad. We'll tell you," Matt replied.  
  
"Nice man, your father," Wizardmon remarked, as Mr. Ishida went in search of edibles.   
  
"Yeah, he's cool," Matt replied. "Oh, well, back to business. What do we do now?"  
  
"Not much we can do," Joe replied. "That is, unless we're dumb enough to  
actually go looking for Myotismon again."  
  
"He'll come to us eventually," said Izzy. "When he does, well... we do have the  
Seraphmon on our side. I believe that, one way or the other, we're going to come out on top."  
  
"Wish I could feel that positive," Matt muttered.  
  
Sora was leaned back in a chair, absently stroking Biyomon's feathers as she listened to  
the conversation. "When do you think he'll come?" she asked.  
  
"Um... now sounds like a good time," said Tai slowly.  
  
"Huh?" All eyes turned towards the window of the apartment. A little black bat with a red  
marking on its forehead was fluttering around outside, carrying a rolled sheet of parchment and  
shrieking at them.  
  
"Should we let it in?" asked Agumon.  
  
"I guess it wouldn't hurt," said Gomamon. "It's only a little bat, after all. How much harm  
can it do?"  
  
"If it causes any trouble, Agumon will toast it," said Tai, and he shoved the window open.  
  
The bat flew in with a jubilant squeak and fluttered around the room a few times at high  
speed, zipping erratically and causing a few people to duck and yelp as it passed too close to their  
heads. Then it dropped the scroll in the middle of the floor and took off for the window. It  
stopped just long enough to flutter its wings in Tai's face and scratch at him with its sharp claws,  
and Tai jumped backwards and tripped over Gabumon, falling to the floor. He could have sworn  
the bat was laughing at him as it flew away.  
  
"What terrible manners!" Palmon commented.  
  
"What does the message say?" asked TK. "Open it, open it!"  
  
"It probably just says, 'You may have already won twenty million dollars,'" Joe remarked.  
  
Matt grabbed the scroll and opened it, skimming the neat lines of flowing script.   
  
"It's a challenge," he said. "Myotismon says he'll meet us outside Highton View Terrace  
in an hour for a fight. No running away, no quitting until we're destroyed or he is."  
  
"Highton View Terrace," Izzy repeated. "Where it all began. How appropriate."  
  
"Guess he's not wasting any time," said Sora. "What do we do?"  
  
"Well," said Tai, "it only takes a half an hour to get to the Terrace, so... I vote we eat our  
pizza. Then we go meet Myotismon, and we finish this thing."  
  
*****************************  
  
A bit less than an hour later, Matt's dad dropped the group off in front of Highton View  
Terrace. He looked at them all with worry in his eyes.  
  
"Are you kids sure you want to go through with this?" he asked.  
  
"It's something we have to do, Dad," Matt replied. "Don't worry. This is what we were  
born to do. We'll win. You'd better leave, though. Things are gonna get pretty ugly before this is  
over, and you might not want to see it."  
  
Mr. Ishida thought for a while, then nodded. "You're right. I probably don't. Well, good  
luck, Matt. Good luck, TK. Good luck to all of you!"  
  
The Digidestined waved to him as he drove off. Then they turned back to each other. It  
was true that Mr. Ishida probably didn't want to see what was going to happen next. There was  
something inherent in all good parents that makes them want to protect their children from the  
ugliness of the adult world. Staring at each other now, wondering what was going to happen next,  
there was a seriousness in the eyes of the Digidestined children that was very adult, something  
that made them look older, perhaps, than Mr. Ishida himself.  
  
"Well?" Joe ventured. "Where is he? Why doesn't he show up? I want to get this over  
with."  
  
"Relax," said Tai. "We've still got a little time. We're early."  
  
"According to my computer," said Izzy, "we have exactly six seconds left. Five. Four.  
Three. Two. One. None."  
  
The night sky, already dark, went totally black as fog fell down like a curtain. Out of the  
fog came the sound of laughter, and each Digimon and each young warrior went tense as the  
voice of their enemy came through loud and clear.  
  
"How pleasant to see you again, Digidestined," said Myotismon, gliding gracefully out of  
the fog. "Good to see you again, too, Wizardmon. I understand you've been quite busy lately."  
  
"You might say so," said Wizardmon offhandedly. "I've noticed you've been up to your  
old ugly tricks yourself. Worse than ever, in fact. You've reached some new lows these last few  
days."  
  
"I'm flattered," Myotismon replied. "Too bad flattery won't save you now. You should  
have stayed dead after I killed you."  
  
"Sorry to have disappointed you, but I think I'm going to go on living for quite some  
time," Wizardmon retorted. "Bad habits are so hard to break, you know."  
  
"What's this all about, Myotismon?" asked Tai. "We didn't come here to talk; we came to  
fight! Cut to the chase already!"  
  
"The Digidestined of Courage, always so ready for a battle," said Myotismon. Very well. I  
will 'cut to the chase,' as you so quaintly put it. Prepare to defend yourselves."  
  
With no more warning than that, Myotismon leaped into the air and vanished briefly into  
the fog. There was a moment of confusion, and then he dropped into view again, straight into the  
middle of the group of Digidestined. They scattered in all directions, but one of them wasn't fast  
enough to avoid him. With a victorious cry, Myotismon snared Kari and lifted her high up into the  
air, hovering over his enemies and listening to their cries of dismay. Kari struggled in Myotismon's  
grip, but even her panicked strength was nothing next to the demon Digimon's; the hands within  
those dark gloves were like steel traps. Even if she could have freed herself, where would she go?  
Straight down, to most likely become a smudge on the ground when she struck the pavement.  
The Digidestined, realizing the helplessness of the situation, froze to see what the vampire lord  
would do.  
  
"Well, isn't this a novel situation?" Myotismon chuckled. "I seem to have caught the  
eighth child after all. I've often wondered how Digidestined would taste. Now perhaps I'll have  
my opportunity."  
  
"Let her go!" Tai shouted, fists clenched in impotent rage. "Let my sister go right now, or  
I'll beat those pointy teeth right out of your face!"  
  
"Hold your temper," Myotismon snapped. "I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet.  
This girl has already played her part and proven she is no threat to me. I just might feel  
inclined to release her... if you could offer me something that interested me more."  
  
"What are you saying?" asked Gatomon, trying not to let her fear show. She glanced  
uneasily from her partner - still writing in Myotismon's grip - to Wizardmon. He was good at hiding his  
emotions, but not from her, and she could see the worry in his eyes.  
  
"You know exactly what I'm saying," said Myotismon. "Hand over the avenger of the  
betrayed, he who has the power of the Seraphmon, and I will hand over the child of Light.  
Otherwise..." He jerked Kari's head around, baring her unprotected neck. "Otherwise I rip the  
girl's throat out with my bare teeth while all of you watch."  
  
Kari became very still as she felt the vampire lord press closer. His breath rushed across  
her bare skin like a polar wind, cold and bitter. Her face paled as if her blood was already being  
drained, sensing how close death was.  
  
"Please... help me," she whispered.  
  
"Kari!" Gatomon wailed. What was she to do? She was no match for Myotismon, and  
here he was holding the reason for life she had always been searching for. He was going to rip out  
half her heart, and the only way she could stop it was to betray her most loyal friend. She sighed,  
ears and tail drooping. "I'm sorry, Kari. I'm so sorry."  
  
A gentle gloved hand touched her face to brush her face and wiped away the tears.  
  
"It will be all right," said Wizardmon quietly. "You don't have to do anything. I'll go."  
  
"What?" Gatomon repeated. "But you can't! Myotismon will kill you!"  
  
"He won't," Wizardmon answered firmly. He turned his gaze up to Myotismon. "You  
heard that, didn't you? I'll come willingly if you promise to return Kari safely!"  
  
"The girl will be released unharmed as long as you don't try anything clever,"  
Myotismon replied. "You understand that, don't you? No trying to escape once she's free."  
"I swear it," Wizardmon replied. "I will not fight in the coming battle once you  
release my friend's partner... and I lose my powers as Seraphmon when I break my word, so you  
know you're safe."  
  
Myotismon gave a demonic laugh, a creaking sound of insanity creeping in at the edges of  
his normally controlled tones. "Yes! Your fates are sealed now, Digidestined! Without your friend  
here, you will never triumph over me! I will live forever, and you will die!"  
  
He tossed Kari in the direction of the gathered Digidestined, and Tai and Matt rushed to  
catch her. Wizardmon glanced to make sure she was all right, and then began walking meekly  
toward Myotismon.  
  
"Wizardmon, you can't do this! We need you!" Gatomon protested, trying to hold him  
back.  
  
"It will be all right. You would never be able to live without your partner, but you can get  
by without me," he answered.  
  
"No," Gatomon sobbed. "I can't stand to lose you like this."  
  
"It will be all right," Wizardmon said again. "You'll see." He hugged her tightly, and so  
softly that only her cat's ears could have heard him, he added, "I do have one last trick up my  
sleeve. I am a wizard, after all."  
  
And then he slipped from her embrace and began walking towards Myotismon again.  
Stopping a few feet away from the demon lord, he placed his staff on the ground at Myotismon's  
feet and held out his empty hands.  
  
"I am at your mercy," he said. "Do as you will."  
  
Myotismon laughed again, that same unbalanced sound that sent ice through all listener's  
blood. He flashed his teeth in a malicious smile as he waved his hands at his enemy, bringing forth  
waves of red-black power, and Wizardmon was washed away in lights.  
  
The lights formed themselves into a cage with bars of an ugly-colored metal, as if they had  
been stained in blood. Wizardmon sat up and shook himself, momentarily disoriented by the blast.  
  
"You stay there," Myotismon ordered. "You would have been better off, Wizardmon, if  
you had cast your lot with me instead of that treacherous feline. Now you will watch these pests  
that you champion be destroyed, and then I'll pay you back for turning against me. Foolish  
creature, you've sealed their fate."  
  
Wizardmon listened placidly to the tirade. He had taken a huge gamble on betting that  
Myotismon wouldn't kill him right away, but he had been certain that the vampire lord was too  
proud, too sure of his own power to take his enemy out straightaway and miss the chance to  
make him suffer a bit first. That would be too clean an end. Well, now he had escaped that fate,  
and he could bide his time for a little while. He settled back in his cage to watch the excitement.  
Then, with all the calmness in the world, he reached into his pocket, withdrew a scrap of paper  
and a pen. After deliberating a while, he began to write.  
  
Gatomon saw very little of that. The sight of Myotismon taunting her caged friend was  
more than she could take. She charged at the vampire lord, shouting, "He can't do that! Kari, let  
me fight! I'm going to pay him for that!"  
  
"Go for it, Gatomon!" Kari replied, whipping out her Digivice. "Show him what you're  
made of!"  
  
The cat leaped, transforming in midair: "Gatomon, digivolve to... Angewomon!"  
  
"Oh, it's you again," Myotismon sneered. "Don't think I'm impressed. You couldn't  
destroy me before, and now I know your tricks."  
  
"Don't be so sure about that," she replied. "Celestial Arrow!"   
  
A shower of gleaming lights fell around Myotismon, but he dodged them all easily,  
laughing at her frustration. With a flick of the wrist, he conjured two whips of red light and lashed  
them at her. She managed to dodge the first, but the second clipped one of her wings, throwing  
her off balance and sending her plummeting to the earth. The Crimson Lightning wrapped around  
her like a pair of constricting snakes, making her scream in pain as they began tightening around  
her. The other Digidestined shot worried glances at each other.  
  
"We've gotta do something! She's going to be eaten alive!" Joe wailed.  
  
"Looks like we'd better get to work," Matt said.  
  
Tai nodded. "Ready, gang? It's Digivolving time!"  
  
"Me first!" TK said. "Go, Patamon!"  
  
"You got it! Patamon, digivolve to... Angemon!"  
  
Seconds later, something golden flashed between Myotismon and Angewomon, and the  
Crimson Lightning was destroyed in a wan fizzle of red sparks. Both combatants turned to stare  
at the newest angelic arrival, who held his Angel Rod at ready in case of another attack.  
  
"You should know better than to treat a lady like that, Myotismon. You're supposed to be  
a gentleman," said Angemon mockingly.  
  
"Very well, then. You can take her place," Myotismon replied. "Crimson  
Lightning!"  
  
Angemon almost didn't dodge fast enough. A few feathers drifted down to earth from  
where the band of light touched the tip of his wing, and Angemon fluttered his ragged pinfeathers  
in annoyance. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, Myotismon produced a swarm of  
bats that flew shrieking and chittering at Angemon. He turned toward them with a gasp of shock,  
but they were closing in too fast, giving him no room to dodge...  
  
"Flower Cannon!" shouted a welcome voice, and the bats disintegrated in midair.  
Lillymon glared at Angemon, who managed to look sheepish.  
  
"Worry about your vanity later, Angemon," she scolded. "You're acting like Mimi."  
  
"And you don't?" Angemon replied.  
  
Myotismon shook his head incredulously. "You all are unbelievable!"  
  
"I'll take that as a compliment," a voice rumbled.   
  
Myotismon half-turned, and that was as far as he got before something large and hairy  
landed on his back, and he suddenly found himself struggling to escape the grips of  
WereGarurumon.  
  
Ahooo!" the white wolf howled exuberantly. "I still haven't finished paying you for  
Pumkinmon and Gostumon! Let's see how you like it!"  
  
Myotismon snarled in sudden pain as a pair of spiked brass knuckles collided at high speed  
with his face, leaving a series of deep gouges along his cheek. They trickled a thick, dark  
substance - not blood, but something like liquid shadows, as if he were completely empty inside.  
WereGrarurumon had only a moment to ponder this phenomenon before the infuriated vampire  
gave a mighty heave and threw his attacker to the ground. Luckily, Zudomon was standing in an  
opportune place, and he caught his friend in his huge paws and set him gently on the ground.  
  
"Are you all right?" Zudomon asked.  
  
"I'm fine," WereGarurumon insisted. "But I think I'm going to wait for the ground to stop  
moving before I try that again."  
  
"Don't worry, I'll keep him busy," answered Zudomon. "Vulcan's Hammer!"  
  
Lightning showered from the sky, and Myotismon couldn't avoid being a bit singed as he  
darted out of the way. He was already being harried by Angemon, Angewomon, and Lillymon,  
and Garudamon and MegaKabuterimon had joined the battle. Down below, MetalGreymon was  
firing round after round of Giga Blasters at him, adding bursts of smoke and fire to the general  
hubbub. Myotismon was beginning to feel pressured; it was becoming evident that he had chosen  
the wrong battleground. Before, they had all battled on a flat space, staying more-or-less in the  
same place, leaving him plenty of room to see what they were doing and counteract it. Here his  
enemies were using their flight abilities to the best possible advantage, as well as the darkness and  
the multitude of dark alleys that they could slip into at a moment's notice to leap out later in a  
surprise attack. He might have been more powerful than all of them put together, but not when he  
couldn't even see them! But he couldn't lose. The only one who could destroy him was the  
Seraphmon, and that danger had been removed. He had cheated destiny! He would win this battle  
if it took every ounce of strength he had!  
  
"Crimson Lightning!" he roared. Red light flared around it, and he seized it and  
spun it into a fire tornado, a raging bloody storm that lashed out in all directions. The Digimon  
scattered left and right, unable to withstand an attack that left nowhere to hide. When the inferno  
calmed, the sides of all the nearby buildings were scorched, their windows shattered. The Digimon  
looked scorched, too. They had reverted to their customary forms and lay moaning and twitching  
in the alleys. In the middle of it all, Myotismon hovered, his cloak singed, hair disheveled, mask  
askew, and face still bleeding from WereGarurumon's attack. He was panting from the exertion,  
but his eyes were wild and his teeth were bared in an insane grin. Very quietly, he began to  
chuckle. The sound rose slowly until it became a scream of fiendish laughter that echoed off the  
ruined buildings.  
  
"Thought you could destroy me?" he rasped. "Never! I am invincible now, do you hear  
me! Nothing can ever touch me! I am going to rule this world forever! Forever!"  
  
He howled with laughter, while the Digidestined stared in alarm.  
  
"He's gone off his hinges!" exclaimed Matt.  
  
"Somehow," Tai replied, "I don't think that's going to help us."  
  
"Nothing is going to help you now," Myotismon replied. "Your Digimon have been  
defeated. Now to see if the rumors are true, that they die without their Digidestined partners.  
Which of you would like to go first?"  
  
"None of them!" shouted an unexpected voice.  
  
"What?" Myotismon looked around wildly, trying to find the speaker. Then he screamed  
in sudden pain as a dart speared his arm, sinking a sharp needle deep into his flesh. It was only  
then that a familiar dark shape fluttered out of a shadowed alley, holding another dart in his  
clawed feet and glaring at Myotismon with blazing yellow eyes.  
  
"Happy to see me again, Myotismon?" asked DemiDevimon. For once, he was neither  
trying to sound ingratiating nor sniveling in fear. On the contrary, he sounded absolutely fearless,  
and there was a note of iron in his voice that no one had ever heard him use before.  
  
"You!" Myotismon snarled. "Do even you turn against me, DemiDevimon?"  
  
"Turn against you? That's a laugh. I was your most loyal servant! All I ever wanted was  
to serve you, and how do you treat me? You replace me and throw me out the door!"  
DemiDevimon replied. "Wizardmon! Do you hear me? I've been betrayed, and I want payback!  
Destroy him!"  
  
"No! You loathsome little - ack!" Myotismon made a move to attack his former servant,  
but he was suddenly seized by a round of wracking pains that made him nearly double over. The  
dart... DemiDevimon's darts were poisonous, and Myotismon had used up all his strength in the  
firestorm. He had nothing left to resist with. He who had withstood all the powers of the  
Digidestined's Ultimate Digimon was now about to be killed by a sneak attack from a Rookie, his  
own servant.  
  
"No!" Myotismon panted. "I'm not going to let it end like this! I... I have a card I haven't  
played yet. I won't... I won't be... destroyed! I won't!"  
  
"Too late for that, Myotismon! You're history!" Tai boasted.  
  
"Think again!" From within a hidden pocket, Myotismon produced the Black Lens and  
held it skyward. Red and black lights began flaring around it, obscuring the vampire lord in blood  
and shadow. "This crystal still has it's power... I'm raising the stakes! Say goodbye to Myotismon  
and hello to... Venom Myotismon!"  
  
"Uh-oh," said Joe, his eyes going wide behind his glasses. "I think we're in trouble."  
  
The storm of ebon and crimson was steadily increasing, filling the entire street with a  
strange cloud of roiling lights. Then things began emerging from the lights - clawed feet, legs  
covered in black fur, a rat's tail, taloned hands attached to disproportionately long arms, a pair of  
huge red ragged wings, and an altered yet familiar face with eyes that glittered in all colors. The  
beast stood over them all at skyscraper height, looking down and laughing like thunder.  
  
"I really think I liked the old Myotismon better," Tai managed.  
  
Mimi was staring up at the monstrosity with a face as pale as wax.  
  
"I'm... gonna take a little nap now," she said dazedly, and passed out. Sora jumped to  
catch her before she could hit the pavement.  
  
"Mimi! This is no time to faint!" she scolded, shaking her friend's shoulders. "We're going  
to need everyone to fight him!"  
  
"I don't think even all of us together can handle that," said Tai. "I mean, look at our  
Digimon! They're all conked out."  
  
It was true. The Rookies and Gatomon were still lying where they had fallen, eyes half  
open. It was uncertain whether they even knew what was going on.  
  
"Izzy, tell us what's going on," said Matt, watching his friend typing busily at his laptop.  
  
"You're not going to like it," Izzy replied. "Somehow, Myotismon used that Lens to give  
himself more power - enough power to Digivolve up to another level than Ultimate. He's reached  
some kind of Mega-ultimate stage that's way beyond our Digimon. Even if they were at full  
power, I don't think we would have a chance. It's just like in the prophecy!"  
  
"What prophecy? Did we miss something?" asked Sora.  
  
"The prophecy concerning Myotismon's destruction," Izzy replied. "It said that at the time  
when the worlds cross, the Lord of the Undead would bring forth a shadow to fall upon the Light.  
I think that part is talking about the dark copy of Wizardmon. It also said that a beam of darkness  
would reveal the true form of the Beast... and I guess it has!"  
  
"Was there anything else?" asked Tai. "There's gotta be something else! Think!"  
  
Izzy shrugged. "Only that the power of the Seraphmon would prevail against evil, but  
since Wizardmon promised he wouldn't be in this fight, I don't know what we're going to do!"  
  
Just then, something happened. A very small something, pale and light drifted across the  
dark alley on the eddies of warm air. It drifted and darted a bit like a butterfly as it caught the  
drafts. It hit Matt in the ear, and he yelped.  
  
"What happened?" asked Tai, jumping at the noise.  
  
"Look, it's a paper airplane!" TK exclaimed.  
  
"A paper airplane?" Kari repeated. "Where did that come from?"  
  
Matt took the airplane and unfolded it. "Look, Tai, it's got our names on it! It says,  
'Stand in front of the cage.' What do you suppose that means?"  
  
"I bet it means Wizardmon wants to talk to us," Tai replied. "And if that's what he wants,  
that's what we'd better do. The rest of you go look after your Digimon. We'll be back as soon as  
we can."  
  
The other Digidestined nodded and went to do as they were told, and the other two boys  
went to answer the wizard's summons. They found him sitting in the corner of his cage, but as  
they approached, he got up and went as far as he could to meet them.  
  
"You wanted to say something, Wizardmon?" Matt asked, as soon as they came within  
speaking distance.  
  
Wizardmon nodded. "You two are going to destroy Venom Myotismon."  
  
"What?" Tai yelped.  
  
"Well, your Digimon will. They're the only ones strong enough to handle the power it will  
take to defeat him," Wizardmon replied.  
  
"But - but I thought the prophecy said only you could do it," Matt replied.  
  
"No," Wizardmon replied. "The exact words were, 'Then the Seraphmon will be born  
again, and the power from his sword will prevail against evil.' It says nothing about the  
Seraphmon doing anything."  
  
"That's not the same thing?" asked Tai.  
  
"Of course not," Wizardmon replied. "You see, Digimon have the power of giving their  
powers to another to help that one become stronger. Angemon borrowed the joined powers of the  
other Digimon to defeat Devimon, and Angewoman borrowed the others' powers when she  
battled Myotismon. Now I'm going to give my power to you and your Digimon to help them  
destroy Venom Myotismon!"  
  
"All right! He'll never be expecting that!" Matt exclaimed.  
  
"Shh! Keep it down," Wizardmon replied. "Before we can do anything, I'm going to need  
your help. Your Digimon draw part of their powers from you, so I'm going to use you both as a  
focus. You're going to have to stand close together - it will work better if you're touching each  
other, holding hands or something."  
  
"Um..." Tai and Matt looked at each other uneasily.  
  
"Well, if it'll save the world," said Matt. "But that's the only reason I'm doing this, Tai!"  
  
"Same here," Tai replied, but he took Matt's hand anyway.  
  
"Now, brace yourselves," Wizardmon replied. "There's about to be a bit of excitement.  
Wizardmon, digivolve to... Seraphmon!"  
  
There was a dazzling burst of green-white light, and the two startled boys reeled  
backwards from the force of the explosion. The cage that had held Wizardmon broke up and  
dissolved like sugar in water, and out of the swirling light rose the awesome figure of the  
Seraphmon. Venom Myotismon's eyes went wide with shock and fury.  
  
"What are you doing?" he growled. "You swore you'd stay out of this fight! You can't do  
this!"  
  
"I'm not going to fight," Seraphmon replied. "I leave that in the capable hands of the  
Digidestined. They will wield my powers for me."  
  
"You tricked me!" roared Venom Myotismon. "You call yourself the avenger of the  
betrayed! You've deceived me!"  
  
"You deceived yourself, Venom Myotismon," answered Seraphmon. "You can't cheat  
fate. Even you should know that. You have committed too many crimes to go unpunished; it's  
time to meet your destiny, and you know I tell no lies. Sword of Truth!"  
  
"No! Stop!" Venom Myotismon shouted. "I'm not letting you do this!"  
  
"Too late," Seraphmon replied. The sword was glowing like the sun, too bright to look at  
directly. He held it for a moment, then hurled it at the place where Tai and Matt stood. There was  
a colossal explosion that caused a rain of white lights, and in all that commotion, no one saw a  
dark-garbed figure drop from the sky where Seraphmon had been a moment before.   
  
At the same time, Gabumon and Agumon raised their heads and blinked their eyes, first  
groggily, then with a bit more animation.  
  
"Hey, my strength's coming back!" Agumon exclaimed.  
  
"Mine too!" Gabumon replied. "I've never felt anything like it! I feel as good as new!"  
  
"I feel better than new!" Agumon exulted. "As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to  
digivolve. Agumon, warp digivolve to... WarGreymon!"  
  
"Gabumon, warp digivolve to... MetalGarurumon!"  
  
"Whoa, look at that!" Sora exclaimed. "What just happened?"  
  
"Their Digimon just jumped to Mega somehow," Izzy replied, staring in awe. "Man!  
That's beyond prodigious!"  
  
Evidently, Matt and Tai were of the same opinion. They slowly picked themselves up from  
where the explosion had tossed them and looked at the new arrivals on the field. Tai shook  
himself and looked again.   
  
"Oh, wow!" he enthused. "Just look at you guys! You're awesome!"  
  
"Venom Myotismon doesn't stand a chance," said Matt.  
  
"You'd better believe it!" answered WarGreymon. He and MetalGarurumon turned to fix  
predatory eyes on Venom Myotismon, who stared back with a wild expression.  
  
"This cannot be happening! I've come to far for it to end like this!" he shouted.  
  
"I think this has gone just far enough," MetalGarurumon replied. "You're going down!  
Ice Wolf Claw!"  
  
A rain of rockets fell down on the demon-beast, coating him in a thick layer of ice. He  
roared in frustration as he struggled to free himself from his prison.  
  
"What's the matter, Myotismon? Too cold for you?" WarGreymon jeered. "Let me warm  
you up! Terra Force!"  
  
The fireball slammed into Venom Myotismon with enough force to throw him off his feet,  
and he toppled into an untidy heap of tangled limbs and crumpled wings. He wasn't down for  
long, though. Howling with incoherent rage, he got up and began firing bolts of multicolored  
energy from his eyes, forcing the Mega Digimon to leap quickly out of the way.  
  
"They're not doing very well, are they?" Joe remarked.   
  
"Joe, don't say things like that!" scolded, of all people, TK. "We've gotta have hope,  
right? The prophecy said they would win. It never said anything about it being easy."  
  
The Digidestined stared, surprised at such wisdom coming from such a small child. There  
was only one person who could think of anything to say in reply.  
  
"You're a smart kid," said DemiDevimon. "But you know what else the prophecy didn't  
say? It didn't say those two had to do everything by themselves. I'm gonna get some help!" He  
took off in a flurry of wings and vanished into the darkness.  
  
"What do you make of that?" asked Izzy.  
  
"Well, he's never done anything good for us before," Mimi replied. "On the other hand,  
he's pretty mad at Myotismon, too."  
  
Looking up at the battle going on between the Mega Digimon, Sora remarked, "Right  
now, I'm not going to turn up my nose at anyone's help, even DemiDevimon's!"  
  
As it turned out, there was no need to worry. DemiDevimon landed a short distance away  
and walked up to the place where Gatomon lay sprawled and prodded her with a talon.  
  
"Hey, you, wake up!" he ordered.  
  
Gatomon twitched a little. "Just a few more minutes..."  
  
"This is no time for a catnap!" said DemiDevimon, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Get  
up! Your friends are in danger! Do you hear me? I said they're in danger - Wizardmon and your  
human friend and all the other Digidestined! You've gotta get up and start fighting again, or  
Myotismon is going to win."  
  
"What?" Gatomon sat up and opened her eyes, staring up at the battle taking place. "Oh,  
no! What's going on?"  
  
"Myotismon used that Black Lens thingy to make himself more powerful, and Wizardmon  
gave his energy to your friends to help them Digivolve, but it wasn't enough," DemiDevimon.  
"They need help, so we've gotta help them."  
  
"We? Why would you want to help?" asked Gatomon.  
  
DemiDevimon shrugged. "Because I meant what I said. I don't like you Digidestined  
much, but I like Myotismon even less. I'll help you if that's what it takes to get rid of him."  
  
"I don't know about this. We don't have a lot of strength left," said Gatomon.  
  
"Your buddy gave all he had," DemiDevimon answered. "I don't know about you, but I  
plan to do the same thing. Why give up while you've still got some strength left to fight?"  
  
Gatomon considered. Then she smiled. "You know, you're right! I never knew you were  
so smart, DemiDevimon."  
  
Surprisingly, the little bat blushed. "Aw, well..."  
  
"Come on, let's get the others," Gatomon said. She bounded away, and DemiDevimon  
followed behind.  
  
Seconds later, WarGreymon crashed into the alley they had just vacated, knocking  
enormous holes in the sides of the nearby buildings. He moaned as he hauled himself out of the  
rubble.  
  
"This isn't going too well," he said, in an unconscious echo of Joe. "I can't take a whole  
lot more of this!"  
  
"We've got to keep it together," MetalGreymon rumbled. "We'll pull through somehow.  
We have to!"  
  
"I know we have to," said WarGreymon. "I just don't know if we can."  
  
"You can't," VenomMyotismon snarled. "Even with your little tricks, you don't have the  
power to defeat me."  
  
"That's what you think!" a voice contradicted.   
  
Venom Myotismon glanced down and saw Gatomon leading a small band of determined-  
looking Rookie Digimon. Some of them looked battered and scorched, but all of them looked  
angry.   
  
"You think you little mites are going to fight me?" he sneered. "You must be joking. I  
could eat you all alive."  
  
"I don't feel like being eaten alive," DemiDevimon replied. "The only thing I want to do  
with you right now is see you get blown sky-high!"  
  
"Same here," Gatomon replied. "It's time to face the music, Myotismon. Everything is  
aligning against you now. Your enemies are against you. Your allies are against you. Fate is  
against you. You've got nothing left to fight us, and deep down inside, you know it."  
  
"That's right!" Matt replied. "We've got power you'll never have - the power of  
friendship."  
  
"And that means we're not afraid of you," Tai added. "You hear that? We are not  
afraid, because inside, you're empty. You're nothing."  
  
"I am not!" Venom Myotismon shouted.  
  
TK giggled. "He sounds like a whining little kid, doesn't he?"  
  
"He sure does!" Kari laughed. "Maybe he's going to call his mommy!"  
  
The two youngest children began laughing. Perhaps it was the stress they had all been  
under, but the others began chuckling, too, and Venom Myotismon stared in utter bafflement.  
  
"I bet he never had a mommy," said Sora. "Nobody ever loved him. Hey, not even a  
mother could love that ugly face!"  
  
Mimi glanced up at him, and a smile inched across her face. "You're right! He really  
is a mess! Just look at that hair! He'd need a whole lake full of mousse to fix that!"  
  
"Do you really think we ought to be laughing at him?" asked Joe.   
  
Izzy shrugged. "Why not? Better to laugh than be afraid, right? Besides, you know, he  
is sort of absurd. Really, he doesn't know anything! Even if he took over the whole world,  
it wouldn't make him happy. He'd just go on wanting more and taking more until there was  
nothing left to take, and then what? He still wouldn't be as happy as us. That's pretty crazy, don't  
you think?"  
  
"You're right, that is pretty crazy. Even I'm not that neurotic," Joe replied, chuckling.  
  
Venom Myotismon stared. He couldn't believe it. Here he was, ready to crush them all  
like insects, and they were laughing! Even worse, they were laughing at him! He was  
being laughed at by little children, by the girl who screamed at every strange thing she saw, by the  
boy who treated every situation as if the world depended on it... they found him funny! And now  
the Digimon seemed to have caught the laughter. They were cracking jokes now, rolling around  
on the broken asphalt and giggling as DemiDevimon pranced around doing imitations of him. And  
slowly, a feeling began to creep up on him, one he wasn't used to. It took him a moment for him  
to realize what it was: a feeling of powerlessness. There was something about these  
Digidestined... no matter how powerful he became or what he did to them, even if he ripped them  
to shreds, there was something about them he couldn't destroy. What was that force? Was it what  
humans called love? Even if he killed them now, he was going to hear them laughing forever after.  
He felt something within him begin to shiver, and his resolve faltered.  
  
It was Tai who glanced up and saw what was happening. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and  
looked again, staring hard. Yes, it was just as he had thought.  
  
"Hey, look!" he exclaimed. "Venom Myotismon... he's shrinking!"  
  
"Hey, you're right! I think he's losing his power!" Matt said. "All right, gang, now's our  
chance! Hit him with everything you've got!"  
  
The Digimon cheered as if they had already won and charged the rapidly dwindling  
vampire, shouting their battle cries.  
  
"Super Shocker!"  
  
"Marching Fishes!"  
  
"Spiral Twister!"  
  
"Boom Bubble!"  
  
"Lightning Claw!"  
  
"Poison Ivy!"  
  
"Demi Dart!"  
  
"Ice Wolf Claw!"  
  
"Terra Force!"  
  
There wasn't even enough time to scream. Venom Myotismon went out of the world in a  
way he had never been before: meekly and quietly, in a simple flare of white light. Everyone  
stared as he vanished, leaving nothing more than a wisp of fog that blew away on the wind. The  
Mega Digimon dropped back to their In-Training forms, and Matt and Tai ran to reclaim their  
partners.  
  
"Hey, Koromon, are you okay?" asked Tai.  
  
"Tsunomon, say something!" Matt said.  
  
"We're fine," said Koromon. "Just a little worn out, you know. Rough day."  
  
Tsunomon looked at his partner imploringly. "You wouldn't happen to have some food  
handy, would you?"  
  
"Is he really gone?" asked Mimi, looking all around.  
  
"He's gone, all right," said DemiDevimon in satisfaction. "And good riddance, I say!"  
  
Gatomon had more vital matters to worry about. "Where's Wizardmon? Is he okay? I  
don't see him!"  
  
"He landed over there somewhere," said Matt, gesturing at a heap of rubble that was all  
that was left of a building.  
  
Gatomon wasted no time in rushing toward the hill of rocks and searching for her friend.  
She found him settled in a crevice between bits of a smashed wall, lying very still, but when she  
nudged him, he opened his eyes and shook himself.  
  
"Wizardmon! Are you all right?" she asked.  
  
"I'm fine. Don't worry," he said. "I'm a little drained, but I'm recovering. I'll be fine in a  
little while, really." He managed a smile for her, and she smiled back.  
  
"Man, that was quite a fight!" said Tai. "Is it all over now? Have we won for real this  
time?"  
  
"You've won," said Wizardmon, "but I'm afraid it isn't quite over yet. Look!"  
  
He pointed toward the sky, and all eyes turned to follow his gaze... not like they could  
miss what he was pointing at. The fogged sky had cleared, and what was visible now was a starry  
sky marked with wavering stripes, like waves of rising heat. Visible through the stripes was  
another world, upside-down!  
  
"What on Earth...?" asked Joe.  
  
"It's not Earth. It's the Digital World," Wizardmon replied. "Things aren't quite right  
there, yet. You see, time passes at a different rate here than it does there. You might have only  
been gone a few days here, but thousands of years have passed in the Digital World, and without  
you there to protect it..."  
  
"You mean while we were saving Earth from Myotismon, some other creepy Digimon has  
been taking over?" asked Mimi.  
  
"Not just one. Several," Wizardmon replied. "They call themselves the Dark Masters. I've  
been trying to help slow them down a little, but I also had to be here protecting you."  
  
"So we've been wasting our time here?" asked Matt, outraged.  
  
"No," said Wizardmon. "One, you found the Eighth Child. Two, you rescued Gatomon,  
for which I'll always be grateful. Three, you destroyed Myotismon and saved your planet, which  
is definitely a good thing. Four, you've gained the power of warp digivolving. You'll need it to  
fight the Dark Masters. Your time has not been wasted here... yet. However, it would be a good  
idea if you were to start thinking about heading back to the DigiWorld."  
  
"What do you say then, guys?" asked Tai. "Are we up for another adventure?"  
  
"I don't see where we have another choice," Izzy replied.  
  
The other Digidestined agreed. One by one, they took their Digivices from their pockets  
and held them out, watching the tiny contraptions begin to glow with colored lights. They formed  
into a pillar of brilliance that began to slowly lift humans and Digimon alike into the sky.   
  
"You're not leaving without me!" DemiDevimon shouted, fluttering into the beam of light.  
  
In the next instant, all of them were swallowed up into the luminance.  
  
****************************  
  
They reappeared in a clearing at the edge of a wooded valley. Still shocked from the battle  
and everything that had come with it, they dropped onto the grassy turf to catch their breath.  
  
"Well, here we are," said Tai. "Funny, the DigiWorld doesn't ilook/i like it has  
anything wrong with it."  
  
"This is a quiet place," Wizardmon replied, "one of the one's we've managed to protect.  
You'll be safe here for a while."  
  
"So, this is where you live, huh?" Kari inquired of Gatomon. "It's nice. I think I like it."  
  
"I'd like it even more if there were less evil Digimon around," Joe muttered.  
  
"Well, we've gotten rid of Myotismon. That's a start. Now all we have to do is tie up the  
loose ends," Matt commented.  
  
Tai looked puzzled. "What loose ends?"  
  
"Him. What else?" asked Izzy, pointing at DemiDevimon.  
  
"Oh, yeah!" said Tai. "Yeah, I guess we really ought to do something about him. What do  
you think, guys? Any suggestions?"  
  
"Let me go and forget this ever happened?" DemiDevimon suggested.  
  
The suggestion was met by scowls and snorts of derision from everyone except  
Wizardmon, who stared at the bat Digimon with an unmistakably calculating expression.  
Gatomon looked at him curiously.  
  
"What are you smiling about, Wizardmon?" she inquired.  
  
"Just thinking," he assured her with a wink.  
  
"I, for one, don't think we ought to let DemiDevimon get away with everything he's  
done," said Matt. "He ought to be punished for all the tricks he's played on us!"  
  
"What about what he did to our Digimon?" asked Sora. "They really got hurt fighting with  
Vilemon."  
  
"Hey, let's not be to hasty here!" said DemiDevimon. He tried his best puppy-dog eyes on  
them. That tactic being met with hard stares, he began searching around for an exit, but he was  
hemmed in on all sides by very annoyed looking Digimon. "Hey,what's your problem? I did help  
you at the end, you know! Doesn't that count for something?"  
  
"You only did it because you wanted to get back at Myotismon," Matt pointed out. "You  
can't be trusted."  
  
"Might I have a say in this?" asked Wizardmon. "I am, after all, supposed to be the  
dispenser of justice."  
  
"Go right ahead," said Kari.  
  
"Thank you," he replied. "Personally, I think DemiDevimon has the right idea. Enough  
with fighting. What we all need now is to forgive and forget."  
  
"Really? You mean it?" asked DemiDevimon, hopping around excitedly.  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Tai.  
  
"Of course I'm sure," said Wizardmon. "We should forgive and he should forget. Hold  
still, you!"  
  
"Huh?" said DemiDevimon.  
  
Wizardmon pointed his staff at the bat and muttered a magical phrase, and a Thunder Ball  
barreled toward DemiDevimon, knocking him off his feet. He lay there in a dazed heap for a  
moment, then sat up and shook himself.  
  
"What happened?" he asked, blinking in confusion. "Where am I? Who are all you people?  
And who am I?"  
  
"You're DemiDevimon," Wizardmon informed him, "a friendly Digimon who enjoys  
helping people."  
  
"Really? I didn't know that," said DemiDevimon.  
  
"It's true," said Izzy, typing busily on his laptop. "See for yourself!"  
  
Izzy turned the computer around so that DemiDevimon could see it. There was a picture  
of the little bat creature in the center of the screen and some text below it.  
  
"'DemiDevimon'," he read, "'a friendly Digimon who enjoys helping people.' Yup! I  
guess that must be me, all right!"  
  
Mimi looked down and peeked at the screen.  
  
"Hey, Izzy," she whispered, "I hate to tell you this, but that's not your Digimon identifier.  
That's your word processor."  
  
"I know," Izzy replied, "but why tell him that?"  
  
"Don't worry about our little friend here," Wizardmon assured everyone. "I'll be watching  
him for any backsliding."  
  
Gatomon stared at him in confusion. "Won't we all be watching him? I mean, you'll be  
with us, won't you?"  
  
Wizardmon sobered, turning serious green eyes to his friend. Everything suddenly seemed  
to become very quiet.  
  
"I only wish I could," he said, "but I'm afraid that won't be possible. Our paths are going  
to have to diverge."  
  
"But why?" Gatomon protested. "Don't you want to come with us?"  
  
"If only I could," Wizardmon sighed. "Unfortunately, our tasks in this world are different.  
I was given powers for protection. It is my task to defend the Digimon of this world from the  
Dark Masters. Your task is to find them and destroy them, and that is not a battle in which I may take  
part. Don't worry, though. When it's all over, we'll be together again, I promise."  
  
"I hope so," said Gatomon. "I'll miss you, Wizardmon."  
  
"I will miss you, too," he replied. He sighed and turned his gaze to the sky, the better to  
hide the unnatural brightness in his eyes. "The sun will set soon. If I'm going to make any  
progress today, I'll have to be leaving now. I wish you all a safe journey! Goodbye, Digidestined!  
Goodbye, Gatomon! Good luck to all!"  
  
With that, he leaped into the air and floated away, followed closely by the fluttering form  
of DemiDevimon. The Digidestined and their companions watched until the two became nothing  
more than dark spots that finally vanished behind a cloud. Gatomon stared a while longer, as if  
she thought they might turn around and come back if she waited long enough. Finally, she turned  
around with a sigh.  
  
"I guess he's gone," said Gatomon. "And I'd just found him again, too!"  
  
"It'll be all right, Gatomon," Kari assured her. "He'll come back, just like he promised."  
  
"Yeah, and the sooner we finish off those Dark Masters, the sooner he'll come back!" Tai  
agreed. "So I say, let's get moving!"  
  
The idea met with agreement, though in varying forms of enthusiasm, and they began to  
walk. The magic had deposited them at the bottom of a tall hill, and a brief discussion led to an  
agreement that they should scale the slope and check the lay of the land. Kari and Gatomon  
trailed along at the very back, the cat looking thoughtful and Kari patiently waiting to see what  
her companion had on her mind.  
  
"Hey, Kari," said Gatomon at last, "I was just thinking... remember our first night  
together, when I asked you about what an angel is?"  
  
"Yeah," Kari agreed.  
  
"And I'm an angel, sort of, right?"  
  
"Yes, you are," her partner answered.  
  
"And Patamon is an angel," Gatomon continued, "and Wizardmon, too, but you'd never  
know just by looking at us, would you?"  
  
"No," Kari replied. "Remember what I said before? Being an angel isn't how you look.  
It's all about how you act and what you're like inside."  
  
"I like that," said Gatomon dreamily. "Maybe there are angels all around us, then, that we  
can't see, because they're only angels in their hearts..."  
  
They came to the top of the hill and looked down. Spreading out below them was a  
massive green forest, and beyond that, a shimmering sea that was turning gold with the approach  
of sunset. It was beautiful, and yet, if they stared off to the north, they could see where the forest  
turned into and ugly city, and beyond that, a smudge of dead-looking greyness. At the very limits  
of their vision, they could pick out a black streak that could only be Spiral Mountain, home of the  
Dark Masters themselves. They felt their spirits lift a little with a surge of determination. The  
Digital World had been strange and hostile when they'd first arrived, but now it was home to  
them in a way Earth could never quite match. Somehow, they would save it and preserve it's  
beauty from evil.  
  
"Well," said Tai, "looks like we've got our work cut out for us. Are you all up to it?"  
  
There was a chorus of agreement, ranging from Matt's determined, "Yes," to Mimi's  
exuberant cheers. Tai grinned at his followers.  
  
"All right! We'll show these Dark Masters not to mess with the DigiWorld, or our  
friends!"  
  
"And we'll make Wizardmon proud of us," Kari added, with a smile to Gatomon. The  
white cat smiled back and nodded.   
  
Full of good cheer, the Digidestined rushed down the hill. Gatomon was the last to leave,  
standing at the peak and taking in the view for a moment longer. Despite the presence of her  
other friends, she still felt a little lonely for the one who had left her... Suddenly, her eyes  
widened, and she shouted to her friends.  
  
"Look, everyone! Look!" she cheered.  
  
Everyone stopped in midstep to look, startled by the joy in Gatomon's voice. What they  
saw sent them all into an awed silence. Rising out of the forest was a swirl of white, like a  
snowstorm in reverse... no, more than that, for the whiteness flashed and sparkled in a way that  
something as mundane as snow never could. It gleamed like a fleet of rising stars, pure white and  
glowing. Then the viewers began to pick out bits of green against the forest foliage, green that  
sparkled like emerald armor, and they finally realized what they were looking at. The white and  
green shapes were Seraphmon - not just one or two, but dozens of them soaring across the sky.  
And as they watched, one more bright shape rose up to join the flock, a shape that was followed  
by a telltale black dot.  
  
"That's him!" Gatomon said happily. "All his life, he and I were alone. Now we've both  
found friends to be with. He was right - he's where he needs to be, now, and I'm where I need to  
be, with you all."  
  
"Yeah, I think he'll be happy there," said Matt, watching the bright shapes wing their way  
across the sky.  
  
"I know it," Gatomon replied. She raced to the top of the hill again, waving her paw in  
the air. "Goodbye, Wizardmon! Goodbye! I promise, I'll see you again soon!"  
  
And then she ran back to her friends, leaping into Kari's arms, and they set off toward the  
end of the story, when everyone could be together again. 


End file.
